Love In A Mist
by caitlumms
Summary: Lila lives a terrible life with no parents & an abusive step-dad. When she's whisked away to Camp Half-Blood, she's still the odd one out. Desperate to find her parents, she sneaks away, leading to a crazy journey with an ending no one could've expected.
1. Chapter 1

_"Lila," A gentle, hesitant voice said. It was female, and very young sounding. She sounded....Innocent. And scared. Absolutely terrified. I could hear her voice shaking. With a start, I realized the fear was for me. "Lila, my dear. I'm so sorry." The voice said fervently, and then, with a start, I woke up._

The sun pierced my eyelids. That would've been a shock enough, because it meant that I had overslept, but combined with the weird voice in my dreams, I had to lay in bed for a few minutes composing myself. That was a few minutes to many. With a ear-shattering sound, a voice bellowed up the stairs.

"GIRL!" It said, none too kindly. I sighed deeply, rolling to my feet. I was all-too-used to being addressed like this. After all, Dane, my "father" in every legal sense of the world, hated my guts. I didn't know why it was me he choose to adopt that day. My mind took me back to the moment when I first met him.

It was a cold, rainy day in my home of Vermont. At the orphanage, which had been my home since my real father disappeared, it was adoption day. I hardly bothered to care about this anymore. My age made people immediately recoil from adopting me. I was only eight, but that made me a real veteran when people wanted bouncing babies and too-cute toddlers. I didn't get a second look. But when a man came in through the doors, I knew he was different.

First was his appearance. People came to adopt in their best clothes, to make a good impression. This man was wearing a rumpled, slept-on T-shirt and faded, ripped jeans. Not the greatest looking guy, either, with his beady, hungry looking eyes, and unshaved stubble. He headed right to me, and stood there, sizing me up. I did the same, giving him my best 'don't mess with me' glare. He was unfazed and turned to the nearest handler.

"How much?" He grunted, motioning in my general directing. The handler, shocked that someone was interested in adopting me, rattled off a few numbers. Seeming satisfied, the man pulled out his wallet. A few days later, I was heading off to a new "home".

On the way there, a gloomy silence filled his crappy beat-up car. "I'm Dane Resdin," he said, breaking into me staring out the window. "Your Lila." I nodded at the not-question. "Last name?" My head lowered in shame, and he guffawed loudly. "Hah!" he shouted, then continued. "Got no parents, that's you. They didn't want you, for good reason." My tears welled up at this. I had always been sensitive, crying at the drop of a hate. So I turned my face away from him, hiding that fact that I was crying, but I guess I let out a sob.

Immediately his head snapped up. He grabbed my chin and jerked my face up. So fast I hardly registered it, he smacked me across my face. I recoiled, leaning against the door, and a hiss broke through my clenched teeth. One of his hand's was gripped in my hair still, too tight, while the other was calmly steering the wheel.

"Now you listen here. Crying's for sissys. You cry in front of me, and ill give you something to really cry about." And then he released me.'

That was the start of me and Dane's relationship. I soon figuered out why he adopted me. He needed a cook, a cleaner, and, when drunk, a punching bag.

"Dammit! You better get your ass down here girl, or I swear!" interrupted my thoughts. Dane's threats needed to be taken very seriously. So I was dressed, down the stairs, and frying bacon in under a minute. I was rushing because of my tardiness, and thus spilled hot grease on my hand. Tenderly holding my hand, and holding back the tears that sprang up in my eyes, I set out Dane's meal.

"Breakfast." I called softly, then scurried out of the kitchen. Just in time, I grabbed my backpack and was out the door as the school bus pulled up.

Automatically, I shifted so my hood fell over my face. Barely a person glanced up as I slouched my way to my usual back of the bus seat. I blocked out the happy chattering numbly, analyzing my burned hand. People at my school just didn't seem to like me. Maybe it was the way I dressed, in my cheap K-mart clothes, always in layers. For some reason, I was continuously freezing during the winter months. I could feel a few of the popular girls staring at me. The lip gloss wearing, designer clothed girls. Their whispers didn't reach me, but I self-conciously looked at my outfit.

Worn, holey jeans under a black skirt, and a white, long-sleeved shirt over a light blue hoodie, with the hood pulled over my face. My scuffed, hand-me-down pink converse high tops were looking no shabbier than yesterday. I basically looked like I did everyday. I even glanced at the window to check that my reflection was the same. My hair was long, thick, and black as night. My eyes were brown as chocolate, and framed by long lashes. My cheekbones rose high in my face, and my mouth was small, with full lips. I hated my face. It was vulnerable looking, prompting people to either protect me, or hate me. Usually it was the latter.

I looked at the girls again, only to realize it wasn't me that had been staring at. It was the boy in the seat across the aisle from me. He can only be classifed as a grade-A hottie. Broad, strong shoulders, and a toned, muscular body. A face the made me want to cry, with bright, blue eyes. His brown hair had the tiniest curl to it. He had the physique of a model, and I could feel the cockiness exuding from him.

Just as I was about to turn away, I noticed something. If I looked hard enough at his jacket, it morphed into armor. The kind of armor you saw in archeaology movies. But it was fresh, new looking. And clenched tightly in his right hand was a dagger.

**A/N: Tada! Like it, hate it? Tell me! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to AJ32187, 2tailedfoxniibi, bombplaya3, NCISissnazzy, and Defiatos X, my first reviewers!**

My eyes grew to the size of watermelons and my mouth snapped open wtih an audible "Pop!". Distantly, I could hear the popular girls giggling at something or another, but my attention was focused on the idiot in front of me. He was listening to an ipod, seemingly harmless, except for the dagger still in his hand. Glancing around, he caught my astonished gaze.

"What?" He demanded, obviously defensive.

I stuttered incoherantly for a few moments, then gestured to this dagger and his armor. "What are you doing!? Are you trying to get expelled?!"

He looked at me incredulously. "You can see those?!" He asked, looking more astonished than I felt.

"Of course I can! It's not like your hiding them!" I practically screamed. He looked around, at the girls trying to eavesdrop, and quickly switched to my seat. I recoiled from the blade, now inches from me.

"Oh don't get worry, this isn't meant for you." I rolled my eyes at him, and then out of the blue he asked, "Do you have both of your parents?"

I stuttered again. "N-No." Then a furious blush crept up my cheeks. I blinked away tears again. "What does that matter to you?" I demanded.

He laughed, and then turned serious again. "Meet me behind the gym during lunch. I've got to talk to you." Then, as if choreograped, he stood up right as the bus stopped at school. He was down the aisle and out the doors before I had even stood up.

* * *

I went through the morning in a daze, trying to decide whether or not to go. Too soon, the bell rang for lunch. I sighed, then headed towards behind the gym. My best, and only, friend Demos caught up with me.

"Lila, what's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

I shook my head, but the expression on my face must've been enough. He pulled me into a hug, ignoring the snickers that rang throughout the hall. He dwarfed my 4'10" stature with his 5'7" one. We were both so different, people couldn't believe we were friends. He stood tall and broad, strong, with thoughtful gray eyes and mussed up blonde hair. I stood small and petite, pale. He won trophies in math olympics. I barely passed with straight C's.

But, he was there for me. He knew all about home, and how Dane treated me. And now, he knew to let me go to where ever I needed to. "I might be late for lunch." I said with a grimace. He only nodded, then whisked off down the hallway. I watched him go for a second, then turned in the opposite direction to meet the mystery man.

He was leaning against the wall, looking more angel than man. I cleared my throat to announce myself. He just glanced at me, then beckoned with one finger. I hesitantly came, and stood next to him. Following his gaze, I found he was staring at the clouds.

"So, what now?" I asked, a bit of venom leaking into my voice.

He glanced at me again, and grinned. "Well, I never got to introduce myself. I'm Jace, Son of Nike."

I replied "Your mom has a weird name. Like the shoes." Thunder boomed, and I leaned against the wall a bit closer, thinking of rain and snow.

He laughed out loud. "Oh, don't tell her that. It's centuries old. Literally. So's she."

"That's rude." I said, "She can't be that bad."

"I wouldn't know. I've never met her." He looked at me cockily, measuring my reaction. Then he dropped a bomb that would forever change my life. "Because she's a goddess." His tone was so serious, I knew he actually believed in what he was talking about.

My mind was frozen in shock, so I just blurted out the traditional "What?!"

Jace hurriedly explained, without breaking his composure. "Well, all greek myths are true. In fact, the gods are living in New York, above the Empire State Building. They still have kids, Demigods. I'm one of them, Son of Nike, Goddess of Victory. Your are too, but I don't know who your parent is. I'm going to take you to a place, Camp Half-Blood. It's the only safe place for Demigods, because there the monsters can't get to us. Oh yeah, all the monsters are real too, and they all want to kill people like us."

I stood in shock, absorbing it all. His words sounded true, and he seemed sane. It would explain so much, too. The mishappen flame-haired woman, the one eyed man, and the giant half-bull thing. So I decided to believe him. After all, I had nothing to lose.

"Okay," I said, squaring my shoulders. "I believe you."

For a second, Jace's cool slipped and a trace of shock fluttered across his face. This his expression was back to one of utmost calm. "Cool, we need to get going right now."

He looked at me like this would be the deal-breaker, but I just laughed. "All the better. But first, can we stop by my place? There's something I need to grab."

"Sure," he shrugged, the headed off.

"What are you doing?" I asked, confused.

He laughed, and motioned for me to follow him. "We need to get to your place somehow."

10 minutes later, I found out his somehow was the subway. I stopped upon seeing the stairs, while Jace continued going down. He looked back at me, and said mockingly "What, afraid of the dark?"

"I-I don't l-like underground." That was an understatement. I hated it with every fiber of my being. But to prove to Jace I wasn't a coward, I walked down into my own personal hell.

When he was buying the tickets it wasn't so bad. I could still see a little bit of natural light. But when the subway came, I started hyperventilating.

Getting on was a snap, and I just had to sit down and wait it out. But as the minutes ticked by, my feelings of claustrophobia grew. And soon, my feelings were rewarded. With a huge, grating sigh, the ceiling started rumbling. I looked at Jace, and for the first time saw worry on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, dreading the answer.

He took a second to respond. "Cave-in"

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it was getting a bit long. **


	3. Chapter 3

"What do we do!?" I practically screamed, jumping to my feet. Jace was frozen in shock, thinking. I paced up and down the subway, while the rumblings grew louder and closer. I was fairly certain death was at out door, until Jace jumped to his feet.

"Follow me," he commanded, and I obeyed. He lef me to the very front of the train, where the control panel was. The conductor, a hugely overweight man, was oddly enough, asleep. Jace shoved him aside, and started fiddling with the controls. I had no idea what he was doing until he came upon a birght red button labeled 'STOP'. Without hesitation, he slammed his fist into it. That was when all hell broke loose.

With a grating 'SCREECH' the train jerked to a stop. I was thrown off my feet, and slammed into the controls, as was Jace. My face was smashed, and with a grinding sound, the train settled. With a herculean effort, I peeled myself off the controls. There was alot of smoke, and the rumbling noise was fast becoming painfully loud. I heard a loud groan, and saw Jace emerge from the floor. His wide eyes told me one thing, we needed to go, now. With a giant heave, Jace opened a door into the tunnel. We sprang into the dark abyss, my heart pounding.

Suddenly, I felt Jace's hand wrap tightly around mine. Under ordinary circumstances, I would've been mortified. But here, in the dark tunnel, running for our live's, it felt just right.

We followed the tracks, stumbling along, and just when I saw a faint light appearing ahead, there was a giant 'KABOOM' behind us. Jace ran even faster, tugging me, gasping for breath, behind him. But I knew this was it. I could feel death's cold grip getting ready to ensnare us. I could hear the rocks clattering precariously behind us. A few small ones clunked me on my head, shoulder, and back. But I knew the big one's were on our way.

Without warning, Jace disappeared. Just as quick, I felt his arm's around me, pulling me up onto the platform. We pushed through the crowd of people, screaming. They followed suit as soon as they saw the crumbling mess following us. In all that chaos, I lost Jace's hand.

"Jace!" I screamed frantically, my voice going hoarse. "Jace!" I screamed, as I was jostled and shoved to the back of the mob. Just as I was sprinting up the stairs, a rock caught me right between my shoulderblades, and down I went. Another bashed me in my head, and the world went black. The last thing I heard was _"Die, halfblood."_

* * *

I woke up to a thick, delicious drink being forced down my throat. Blearily, my eyes opened, searching. I found my head laying in Jace's lap, pounding like a thousand drums. He pulled the drink away, and I weakly choked out "What was that?"

Jace laughed, and I could hear the relief in his tone as he spoke "Nectar, drink of the Gods. You can't have to much though, or you'll die" When he said that, I became aware that I was alive. I jerked my head up, then settled back down dizzily.

"What happened?" I croaked.

Jace's eyebrows creased, "I found you, halfway submerged in rocks. I dragged you out, with a few mortals help." To my look, he said "They all survived, and luckily noone was on the train but us."

As he said that, I felt sick to my stomach. We weren't alone on the train. "The Conductor," I sobbed, tears running thickly down my already wet face. I touched it in shock, and my hand came away bloody. Jace pulled me into his arms.

"It's okay. It's my fault. I should've remembered. But you should be proud. You saved a hundred live's today." He shushed me protest, then helped me to my feet. "Come on. We need to get going, before something else happens." He still held my hand, helping me to limp along beside him, while he chattered, trying to distract me. "You know, I've rode the subway about a thousand times before, and that has never happened to me. Hades must really hate you." He joked to my unsmiling face.

I felt another sinking sensation in my stomach. It was my fault he had almost gotten killed. My fault all those mortals had almost died; my fault the Conductor was dead. I was silent the entire way to my house, until it came into view. Then I let go of Jace's hand. He began to protest, until I gave him an icy look.

"Dane, my stepdad, can't know im there. It'll be easier and quieter if I go alone. You stay out here, okay?" He nodded unhappily, and I crept up the tree that grew next to my bedroom window. Sometimes, if Dane was being horrible, I would creep out along the branch. Being in nature always soothed me.

When I crept in the window, I heard snoring downstairs. I laughed quietly, and grabbing a bag, shoving clothes into it. More carefully, I tucked in my prized possesion, a rare flower that I didn't know the name to. It had a prickly coating around it, but a beautiful blue center. I found it one day, dying in the forest, dug it up, and brought it home. It then flourished under my care. I was done packing a ready to jump out the window and make my escape, when suddenly the doorbell rang.

I heard a groan downstairs, as Dane stumbled up out of his chair, to answer the door. I peeked my head out the window to see who was there.

I don't know what Dane saw through the mist, but this is what it looked like to me. A hoard of pretty cheerleader types, all holding leashes of dogs. That was until I squinted, and saw that the cheerleaders had flaming hair, and mismatched legs, and the dogs were the size of cars.

"Is Lila home?" One of the girl's asked. Dane scratched his head and tucked his shirt over his beer belly.

"Lila? Nawh, she's at school." He grunted.

"Oh, well, I'm one of her friends from school. Can I just run up to her room and grab a book?" Dane nodded, and a couple of the 'girls' came inside. The rest waited, hindering me from leaving. I was pinned, defenseless, in my room, while the monsters came for me.

**A/N: Jeeze, another cliffhanger. Sorry, it just was getting long. Update soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

Panicking, I heard a soft tap on my window. Surpressing a shriek, I turned to find Jace perched on the tree, motioning for me to come down. As quietly as possible, I slipped out the window. We scurried down the tree, and just when I thought we were home free, I heard a cry behind us.

"Get them!" One of the girls snarled, and they surged after us. Thinking quickly, Jace slipped me the dagger I saw on the bus, a holster for it, and a folded piece of paper.

"Split up. Meet me at that address, I don't care how you get there, just do it. And don't die!" He said, then whisked away into the trees behind my house. I plunged into the forest also, taking a different path.

'No time to look at the address,' I thought, sprinting off the path and into a few bushes. I hurdled over them easily, settling into my stride. I was glad running had always been my strong point, until I was tackled from behind by one of the giant dogs. It swiped me across my back, flipping me over.

"Grrrrrrr." It growled menacingly in my face. I spit at it, taking he/she by surprise. Blindly, I gropped for my dagger and plunged it deeply into the dogs chest. With a whimper, it poofed into dust, and I scrambled to my feet. In some distant part of my mind, I was aware of two things. One, that they must have split up to find us, and two, that the sun was setting.

I rocketed through the trees, and all was silent for awhile. That is, until a heard the pounding of so many feet, I could never fight off all of them. Part of it was coming from behind, while the other was in front of me. I slithered up a tree, fear making me calm and collected.

When the two groups converged, I heard them call out a greeting. The sun being completely set, I relied on my ears to tell me what was going on.

"Any sight of her?" Someone asked.

Another responded furiously. "No, she must have slipped between us. Curse half-bloods! But she can't run forever." They all cackled at that, then I heard the pounding of their feet, going in the direction I was planning on heading to.

I wriggled in my tree, getting more comfortable. As I gazed out at the starlit sky, I thought over my situation. With a start, I remembered the paper Jace had given me. Unfolding it, I read the address on it.

_Half-Blood Hill  
Long Island, New York_

With a heavy sigh, I folded the paper up. How did Jace expect me to get all the way to New York? I pondered this, and as the moon rose, my eyelids drooped. I fell asleep, perched on my branch.

Like the night before, I had an odd dream. But unlike the other one, I saw a scene, instead of just hearing a voice. This is something like how it went.

_I was in a place that honestly, was the gloomiest place I'd ever been. It was something like a palace, the walls black and rising far over my head. Seated__ on a throne in front of me was a dark, creepy man. He was over 10 feet tall, and clothed in black robes that had faces on them. His face reminded me something of the pictures of Hitler I'd seen. He was talking to someone, but they weren't really there. It was through a kind of mist thing, and I got the feeling they could both see eachother._

_I recognized the person he was talking to. It was one of the girl-demons that was hunting me. She was speaking to the creepy guy like she was afraid of him. "We lost her, Lord Hades. She practically disappeared into the woods. Im sorry, but we did all we could."_

_The man was barely conceling his rage, clasping his shaking hands together. "Well," He spoke, in a silky voice that gave me goosebumbs. "You'd better find her, or you will soon find that dying is not the only thing I can do to you." And with a flourish, he made the image dissolve._

_Hades wheeled around in a flash, and yelled at a woman who was obviously eavesdropping. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING!?" He demanded, and the last thing I saw was the womans wide, brown eyes._

A huge boom jostled me out of me sleep. I opened my eyes, and saw in the daylight, that somehow a car had appeared in the middle of the forest. In a wide circle around it, and the grass was smoking. I felt like I needed sunglasses to look at the car, and the man within it was no exception. He had bright, white teeth, and an glistening smile. The only thing I can say is, he was hot as the sun.

Shaggy blond hair branded him a rebel, and when he took of his sunglasses, I saw his eyes were the exact color of sky blue. I watched as he took out his ipod headphones and strutted over to me. "Nice car," I said, jutting my chin at his red convertable Maserati Spyder.

He just smiled his blinding smile and said, "So your the famous Lila?" I nodded, and he shrugged and said, "Hop in."

Now, I usually don't get into cars with strangers, but this guy didn't seem dangerous. Sure, I knew he could probably blast me into bits if he wanted to, but I didn't think he would.

When I got in, he asked "You know who I am, don't you?"

I just smiled and said "Of course, Apollo, God of the Sun."


	5. Chapter 5

Riding in the Sun Chariot was like nothing I could describe. I could see everything for hundreds of miles. The most amazing thing though, was watching dreary little towns go from pitch black to lit up. In a matter of minutes, we were splash-landing in a quaint lake. As I was climbing out, Apollo grasped my arm.

"Don't let the other Gods get you down Lila," He said, almost lazily. "In fact, I feel a haiku coming on.  
_Your parent's unknown.  
To everyone but me  
Apollo knows all."_

He waited, smiling, as if expecting applause. I just stood staring at him. "M-My parents?" I managed to stutter, amazed. Apollo just smirked and revved his engine.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Things always end well for pretty girls." Then I was forced to avert my eyes as the Sun Chariot took off into the sky.

Grinning ruefully, I turned around to find over 100 people staring at me. They were all seated at a kind of open air-pavilion thing, and it looked as if I had interrupted breakfast. It was weird, because some table were completely full, and some were utterly empty. I could feel the kids all assesing me as I stood there uncomfortably.

Off the main table suddenly cantered a large half-horse man. He had a bow strung across his chest and an orange t-shirt with a kid in a canoe and the words 'Camp Half-Blood' on it. "You must be Lila," he spoke, in a timeless voice. "Jace told me about you," he said to my perplexed expression. Then he stood to his full height. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood, I am Chiron, the activities director."

I nodded and say "Hey."

Chiron responded "Due to your nonchalant demeanor and your arrival, I assume you already know your a child of a God or Goddess. Now, we-" But I interrupted him before he could say anymore.

"Goddess," I said, my voice sounding monotonus, even to me. "My dad was mortal. He disappeared when I was two."

Chirons expression turned sad. "I'm sorry, my dear, but im sure your mother will claim you quite soon. For now, though, you'll be staying with the Hermes cabin. They'll welcome you with open arms, im sure. But now," he said, raising his voice. "Who would like to give our new camper a tour?"

I saw a couple hesitant hands go up, but no one stood out. That is, until, from a table full of blondes, a familar figure emerged. "Demos!" I squeeled, my heart filling with surprise and happiness. So there was a reason he was so smart! "Son of Athena?" I guessed, smiling, and he nodded. His gray eyes danced with pleasure as he reached down and swept me into a hug.

"Jace tipped me off to you guys leaving, so I felt no reason to stick around." He laughed, and from a smaller, less-populated table emerged another figure.

"Jace!" I gasped, my mind floored.

"You look like crap," he greeted me with a chuckle. I spluttered incoherently, but knew it was true as he continued talking. "Not bad for a newbie," he grudgingly admitted. "When I left, I didn't really expect you to get away alive." My mouth gaped open at him.

"So, it was a test?" I asked, stunned.

His grin answered my question. "Oh, no, I didn't send them after you. I just decided, if you were good enough to survice that, your good enough to come to Camp."

That was enough for me. Without thinking, my hand shot out and smacked him across his face so hard, he stumbled and fell flat on his back. Laughter rang through the air, and I glanced up, remembering we had an audiance.

While I was looking, a lone figure broke away from the crowd. She skipped lightly over to us, laughing like everyone else. When she got closer, I tried to avoid openly gaping. She was gorgeous, the kind of person I'd always envied. Tall, with legs long as a giraffes. Thin as a stick, but with a figure like a grown woman. She had long, dark hair braided over her shoulder, and eyes the color of wheat. Still laughing, she helped Jace to his feet, and he tucked her under his arm. Shock flitted across face before I could compose myself.

Jace, with a pissed expression, introduced her. "Lila, this is my girlfriend, Katie Gardner, Daughter of Demeter."

Katie smiled brightly and shook my hand. As much as I wanted to hate her, a feeling of kinship passed through me. "Lila," I introduced myself. Katie raised her eyebrows, waiting for a last name. I had never considered myself to have one, but now that I was free, I made one up. "Briar. Lila Ariadne Briar." I smiled at the sound of it.

Katie smiled too, then looked me over. Her expression turned to one of shock. "Lila," she started. "Im sorry, but you look like crap." Katie spoke almost motherly to me.

Our conversation was still being listened to, so I wasn't surprised when I heard some giggles. But when a group of gorgeous girls started squeeling and shouting "Makeover!" I knew it wasn't going to be good. Katie walked with me as they ushered me away from Jace and Demos. I noticed that when she walked, the layer of snow on the ground melted under her feet, and green grass sprang up. Glancing down at my feet, I noticed that they did it too. But none of the Daughters of Aphrodite's feet did it. Before I had time to ponder this, I was swept into a pink and gold cabin. Ove rthe next few hours, every inch of me we buffed, polished, and exfoliated.

**A/N: Sorry its so short ! But Happy Fourth of July ! Reviews make me happy !**


	6. Chapter 6

When I finally emerged from the Aphrodite cabin, I was surprised to see the sun already halfway through the sky. Assuming I had arrived at Camp around nine, that meant that the Aphrodite Girls had worked on me for three hours! When they first started, my hair hand been tangled with leaves and grass and maybe a little blood. My face had been dirty and sweaty, and my clothes half shredded. Now, after a long bath and about 10 pounds of makeup, they had deemed me satisfactory.

Glancing at a window as I passed, I saw my reflection for the first time and stopped dead in my tracks. The girl didn't look like me at all. Her long, black hair was curled and tossed up into a ponytail, with her bangs pulled back leaving a few tendrils swirling around her face. Her eyes were outlined in charcoal eyeliner, and coated in mascara, making them pop. The outfit she was wearing looked right off the runway; dark skinny jeans elongating her perpetually short legs, a dark purple and black striped sweater dipping low in the front, and a red and black tank top underneath, and for shoes these little mocassin things by a brand called 'Uggs'. She looked like some socialite, come to parley with a king.

Looking away from the glass, I saw Demos staring at me. His gray eyes were wide with shock, and I fidgeted uncomfortably. "Lila, you look great!" Were the first words that came tumbling out of his mouth, closely followed by "Ready for that tour?"

"Yeah," I said, grinning despite my outfit. Demos wound his arm through mine, and we set off.

He narrated the tour, telling me all about Camp Half-Blood. "These are the cabins." He said, motioning to over twenty buildings in two rows. "Zeus and Hera," He said to the first two cabins. "Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Apollo, Hades, Nemesis, Morpheus." Were the 'God' cabins on the left. "Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hecate, Nike" Were the 'Goddess' cabins on the right. "There's so many more, I don't even want to get into it." Demos said dismisively.

I gazed, wide-eyed at all of them, and he laughed. "I know, there's alot, but ever since the Titan War, the Gods promised to Percy Jackson that all their children would be recognized." He shrugged, and then launched into an explination of the War, occasionally pointing out other camp landmarks. "Pegasi Stables, Swordfighting Arena, Archery Range, The Woods..." His words started to run together in my mind. It had been over Twenty-Four hours since I had a decent meal or got more than a couple hours of sleep. So when Demos finally dragged me to our last stop, The Big House, I wasn't in the mood to be respectful to anyone.

"Lila," Demos murmered, shaking my arm gently. "You've already met Chiron, but this is Mr. D, also known as Lord Dionysus."

I was too tired to care, but I bowed anyway to the pudgy man playing cards. Glancing up from his game, Mr. D simply said, "Hello Lila Briar, and welcome to camp." I smiled, but the absence of sound from Demos alerted me to something being wrong. Before I could ask, a horn blew.

Demos snapped out of it, saying "Oh! Dinner! Lila, line up with the Herme's Cabin, last in line." Then he scurried off to line up second place in the Athena Cabin line.

I trudged off to the Hermes line, getting curious looks from the people there. I hastily introduced myself, embarrased the the groans I got from my 'unclaimed' status. We all sat down, toasting 'To the Gods." Everyone got up to serve part of their meal to the fire. Demos had explained everything to me earlier, so I didn't have to look like an imbecile.

Scraping a juicy pomengranate into the fire, I mumbled "Mom, please claim me." Then scampered back to my seat. Looking around, I saw the whole table of upturned eyebrows and mischievious smiles looking at me, amused. I smiled back, a little confused, and asked "What?"

They all laughed, and one of the head counselors, Travis, informed me of the joke. "Your the first unclaimed kid here for awhile. Most kids get claimed on their first, maybe second day. Everyones been hedging bets on you, who your mom is, all day." The Hermes Cabin laughed again, and started eating.

I picked at my food, my appetite gone. 'What if my mom doesn't care enough to claim me?' Shot through my head like a bullet. But my thoughts were interrupted by Mr. D.

"Okay brats, a few announcements. First, Capture the Flag will be two days from now. Yipee." He said this all in the most bored voice possible. Then, his tone changed, his voice gaining a bit of enthusiasm. "Also, please welcome our new camper, Lila Briar." Mr. D then polietly clapped.

A shocked silence enveloped the pavilion, as heads swiveled between Dionysus and me. Whispers abounded, and once again, confused, I asked "What?"

The other counselor, Conner, hurried to fill me in. "Mr. D never, ever calls anyone by their real name." People continued to look at me, and I sank lower down in my chair. For the rest of dinner, I shamefully kept my head down. When everyone retreated to their cabins, I followed obediantly. At lights out, my eyes closed, and I fell into a dream-filled sleep.

_"I await you." Said the familiar voice from my earlier dream. _

_"Mom?" I asked, confused. _

_"Yes my dear," She responded sweetly. "Come meet me, at the Santa Monica Pier in San Francisco, on the first day of Spring. Everything will be revealed to you then. But for now, sleep well my child."_

_And then, it was silent as I fell into a deeper, less-complicated sleep._

**A/N: Hahahah. Im so horrible. Review please !**


	7. Chapter 7

Opening my eyes, the world drifted in and out of focus until I remembered where I was. Sitting up with a gasp, I discovered the rest of the Hermes Cabin still sleeping. Quietly stumbling out of bed, I grabbed a change of clothes, graciously provided by the Aphrodite Cabin, and headed to the Shower House.

Emerging a few minutes later, cleaned and changed, I reviewed the clothes they had given me. Of course, nothing practical. Ripped, faded low-rise jeans, and a preppy, striped-blue button down shirt over a dark blue cami. That was when I noticed that the sun had barely cleared the horizon. Only the Apollo kids, of course, were up. I wandered around Camp, wasting away the time until breakfast. Very soon, I discovered something Demos hadn't showed me on the tour.

In front of me was a snow covered field. When I reached down and brushed the snow away, I saw dead vines of strawberries. Winter had obviously killed them. But, the oddest thing happened when I tentatively touched them. The vine literally began to glow with health, looking fresh and new. The smell of ripe strawberries filled the air, and I plucked on off the vine. It sat, juicy, fat, and red in my hand.

A voice calling "Lila!" startled me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw Demos looking at me, concerned. His eyes widened when he saw the strawberry sitting in my palm. I could almost see the gears turning in his mind. "Don't tell anyone about this," He quickly said, then knocked the strawberry out of my hand. It fell to the ground, dead and black again. He glanced around nervously, then ushered me to the dining pavilion.

Ravenous, I ate quickly, then waited for everyone else to finish. When done, Conner told me I was having a test day, to discover what I was good at. Apparently, swordfighting was first. With a heavy heart, I set off for the arena.

The spectators giggled as I struggled to put on armor. It was all wayyy to big, dwarfing my tiny frame. In the end, I sighed, and decided to go armorless.

When I turned to see my instructor, my eyes almost popped out of my head. Shadows seemed to creep towards his tall, dark figure. His black hair and olive tone reminded me of someone I'd seen recently. But his eyes were what really got me. His dark, obsidian eyes, piercing me right down to my soul. Glaring at me with the most hate I had ever seen. I stood there, frozen by his glare, until he spoke.

"Nico Di Angelo." He said, his voice hoarse.

"Lila Briar." My voice sounded timid and weak. He nodded and took out his sword. It was wicked, three feet long, and the same color as his eyes. I held up my borrowed sword, feeble in comparison. Then we began to fight.

He was testing me, I could tell, but at the same time it felt like a real battle, life or death. I blocked his moves as well as I could, but swordfighting just wasn't my tell. With a huge clatter, Nico disarmed me and had his sword at my throat. I stood, still as ice, not breathing, waiting for him to take it away. He didn't.

Instead, a contemplating look came into his eyes, like someone was giving him a proposition. His sword began to press harder at my throat, and I could feel a trickle of blood running down onto my shirt. I stepped back, finding myself stuck between a wall and him. He stepped with me, pinning me there. Everyone was silent, waiting for his move. That is, until a hand clamped down on Nico's shoulder.

"Hey Nico, whatcha doing?" Said an unknown voice, and Nico reluctantly lowered his sword. I exhaled deeply, taking in oxygen gratefully. Nico stalked out of the Arena, and an unfamiliar boy watched him, then turned to me.

"Percy Jackson," he said, helping me over to a bench. "And you must be Lila, the new camper. Nice to meet you." I shook his hand, my other hand trying to staunch the flow of blood at my throat.

"Can I get an Apollo kid here?" Percy called, and the Hermes kids scrambled to obey him. While we waited, Percy lowered his voice. "Not to be rude, but what did you do to Nico?"

I shrugged, confused as he was. "I don't know." I said, "He just was teaching me, and next thing I knew I was pinned."

Percy looked thoughtful, and then left me to an Apollo healer with a "Get better."

As the Apollo kid bandaged me up, he chattered sunnily. "Weird kid, that Nico. Did you know he's the Son of Hades?" He continued talking, but my mind was elsewhere. That was who he looked like! Hades, from my dream.

Thinking about that dream made me finally remember the one from last night. I gasped as I remembered my mothers invitation. The Apollo kid looked at me oddly. "You okay? Maybe you should take it easy for today, recover from that. And stay away from Nico."

I nodded, then got up and sprinted to the Hermes Cabin. Flipping through the calendar on the wall, I noticed that todays date was January 28th. I flipped through Feburary, then scanned March, noticing 'Spring Solstice' written on March 20th.

'How odd." I thought. 'That's my birthday.' And then it dawned on me. I would have to wait 2 months to know who my mother was!

Pissed, I flung the calendar to the ground. Flopping onto my bed, I thought over my situation, and then came to the only logical end I could think of. I would run away from Camp, trace my roots back, and try with all my might to discover who my mother was.

**A/N: Im so sorry for all the cliffhangers. I am a truly awful person. But the chapter has to end sometime. So, review until next time! And feel free to guess on Lila's parentage. I can pretty much 100% guarentee that you wont be right.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:Sorry for the long wait! I've been suffering majorly from writers block, as you can tell from my lack of updates here, or at my other story, Ergo. But heres a chapter just for my reviewers.**

'First things first', I thought while planning my runaway. I found myself knocking incessantly on the door to the Athena Cabin. Before I could turn away, a pretty, tired-looking girl answered. Her expression made me think she had just woken up.

"Yeah?" She asked, yawning.

"Umm, is Demos here?" My voice sounded timid, hesitant.

She gave me a weird look, and then yelled "Demos! Visitor!"

I heard a 'thump!' as if someone dropped something, some scrambling, and alot of cursing. Demos emerged from the cabin, looking very flustered, and said "Thanks Annabeth."

The girl, Annabeth, flashed him a grin and went back to whatever she was doing, leaving me and Demos alone. "Sooo." He said in the silence that followed. I laughed a little, and he smiled awkwardly. "Want to come in?"

"Sure." Demos led me into the Athena Cabin, and I looked around, interested. The beds were pushed up against the walls, and it looked like everyone had their own workshop. A huge bookcase dominated the back wall. I guess I looked impressed, because Demos laughed.

"Did you need something?" He asked, a little hesitant.

I adopted a hurt look. "What, can't I visit you just to talk?"

He scratched his head. "Well, you never have before, so I was wondering.." Then he trailed off awkwardly.

I stifled a smile. "Now that you mention it, I did have a few questions that require the help of an Athena kid, so yes, I do need something."

Demos straighted up, seemingly glad that I needed him. "Athena kid, at your service."

I giggled, and then turned serious. "So, if there was a half-blood that needed to find something out, who could they ask to answer it."

Demos expression turned thoughtful. "Hmm." He looked as if he was wracking his brains. "There's always the obvious, Gods such as Apollo and Athena. But their kind of hard to reach, so the half-blood could also go to Nereus, the old man of the sea. If said half-blood caught him, he'd have to answer any question they had."

He had sparked me interest, so I continued quizzing him. "Where could you find this Nereus guy?"

Demos gave me a funny look. "Well, he's typically all over the place, but last I heard from Percy Jackson is that he was in San Francisco, hanging out at one of the docks."

A voice spoke up from the back of the room, the Annabeth girl. "Yeah, that's where Percy said he was. What Demos said is all completely accurate." She gave her brother a proud smile, then looked back to her laptop.

Demos had a smug smile now. "But Lila, are you sure this is all rhetorical questions. Your not...planning anything?"

I immediatly started denying everything. "Oh, no. You know the Herme's kids, fill my mind with garbage. I just heard about that guy and was wondering if he was real. So, I'll see you at capture the flag tonight!" And then I hurried off, leaving Demos, confused, in the dust.

When I got back to the Hermes Cabin, I discovered everyone else was at Archery practice. I already knew I was no good with a bow, so I got to packing, shoving a couple changes of clothes into a bag, grabbing a some Ambrosia and Nectar. I was just shoving my feet into shoes when I was interrupted by a knock at the door.

The person didn't wait for me to answer, barging in instead. I threw my bag down just before Jace entered the cabin. He appraised me standing there, sweating nervously, and then plopped down on my bed. I disdainfully looked down at him.

"What do you want?" I said, my voice harsh.

Jace laughed and held his hands up in a mock surrender. "Guess your still mad about the test." His voice was teasing.

I was furious. "Of course im still mad!" I shrieked.

Jace, still calm, laughed again. "You know, that's the only way you can prove yourself. Out in the real world. Otherwise, it's all just fake."

I raised my eyebrows. "Wow. I didn't know you could be serious."

He looked offended. "I have many sides, you know." That's when he noticed my bag. "Going somewhere?"

I was defensive again. "No. Just, you know, in case. Always good to be prepared." Then I gave a nervous laugh.

"Right...."He gave me a weird look, then got up. An awkward, suspicious silence prevailed.

"Ready for capture the flag tonight?" I blurted out brashly.

Jace looked at my oddly again, probably because of the sudden change of subject.

"Yeah, the minor gods are teaming up against the major gods. Nikes leading one, Poseidon the other. Of course, my teams going to win."

I laughed half-heartedly at that, but let it pass. Another awkward silence, I could feel the tension growing, until with a sigh Jace got to his feet.

"Got to go polish my sword. Or something along those lines. Adios, Lila." And then, the strangest thing. At the door, he stopped and gave me a sad, almost protective look. But as soon as I saw it, he was out the door.

"Boys," I sighed, flopping onto my bed. It was relaxing, laying there, feeling like I was floating with no obligations or problems.

The conch horn jolted me out of my fantasy, and I grabbed my bag hurriedly, slinging it over my shoulder. On the way to the dining pavilion, I hid it in some bushes by the Big House. Then I settled down to enjoy my last meal at Camp, before I embarked on my quest to find Nereus and my mother.

**A/N: Snore.............Sorry. It'll liven up. Sooner or later. Hahahh. Wind away the time by pressing the review button !**


	9. Chapter 9

After dinner, everyone stood around, waiting for Capture the Flag. Tensions were high between the minor and major gods children. Despite the minor gods children being recognized, they still held a little resentment towards the major gods kids, who had been recognized all along. I sympathized with them, holding my own little grudge against them, even though I was playing on their side. But it wasn't like I was actually playing, not that anyone else knew. I brushed my feelings aside, and when the horn blew, I played my meger part and rushed to guard the boundary line.

I waited until everyone was out of sight, then dropped my shield, shed my armor, and ran like hell towards the Big House. A few arrows, a broken trip-wire, and some singed hairs later, I was hotwiring one of the Camps Vans. You couldn't live in the Hermes Cabin without picking up a few tricks.

Just as the engine roared to life, and I was hesitantly climbing in the drivers seat, a figure emerged from the woods. I wouldn't of noticed, but then they said mockingly "Fine night for a drive."

My foot pressed to the pedel in surprise, and the van growled. I yanked it off, and then looked at the source of the voice. Looking like a model for armor was Jace, not a scratch on him. "What are you doing?!" I gasped, part angry and part surprised.

He lounged up against the side of the van carelessly. "Looks like your in for a bit of fun. Mind if I join you?" Then so fast I hardly comprehended it, my door was open and Jace was pulling me out.

"No-stop!"I struggled futilely, attempting to scratch, kick, or punch any part of him. His arms were relaxed as he set me on the ground.

"Do you even know how to drive?"

His words stopped me, and I slumped to the ground, all the fight taken out of me. "No," despondency leaked from my voice, and I pleaded with him. "But I n-n-need to f-find my m-mom. Y-you d-d-don't k-know how it is." I heard a little 'slam', and looked up to find Jace in the drivers seat.

"Who said we weren't going? Personally, I think Camps been a little boring since Percy saved the day. Im always up for an adventure." With a wicked smile, he reeved the engine.

A huge smile lit up my face, and I pounced into the passenger seat. "Thank you thank you thank you!" I squeeled, hugging him tightly.

He put his arm around my shoulder and said smoothly, "Every girl needs a handsome hero to save the day. Believe me, I'm handsome enough for three heroes!"

I laughed and smacked his arm, pulling away from his arms. "Yeah, and your egos big enough for ten!"

We both laughed, and he started the engine, squinting carefully through the gathering darkness. Just as he was pulling out, another figure emerged, this one yelling.

Jace slammed his foot on the brakes. "Woah!"

"Lila Ariadne Briar, what the _hell_ do you think your doing!?"

I slumped back in my seat, excitement forgotten. "Demos." I sounded like a little kid being scolded. Hesitantly, I clambered out of the van. "Hey," I sheepishly said, head down.

Demos reached forward and took my chin, tilting my head up to look him in the eyes. It reassured me, because all I saw was concern for my well-being. Looking around, he caught sight of Jace in the front seat, and his face got a sour look. I saw Jace's face had the same look.

"How did Capture the Flag go? We win?"

I was obviously trying to change the subject, and Demos gave me a frustrated look. "Stupendously. They put up a good fight, but without their _team leader_," He emphasized those two words, shooting Demos a glare before continuing, "They had no chance."

I heard a defeaten groan from the van, along with an impatient tapping. "So. Do you want to come with?"

He looked at me, my eyes bright and hair askew, and sighed. "I _knew_ those questiongs weren't rhetorical! Fine. Road trip to California. Whopee. Ill go, make sure you two don't kill each other." Then he climbed in the backseat.

I gave him my sweetest smile and hopped in the passenger seat. In no time at all we were zooming out of there, bound for Grand Central Station.

It was easy to jump onto a train, sneak in the back, and claim seats like we'd always been there. The conductor said we were bound for Omaha, Nebraska, so we figured once we got there we could catch another train and go straight to California.

But, the train ride would take a couple days at most, so we were bored within five minutes of getting on. Demos decided to entertain us with some of the weird facts he knew.

"Did you know," Demos started, "That in a culture in Africa, for the girls to become women their mothers rip out every hair on their head. If they cry out, their dishonered and must leave. In the end, there completely bald."

I clutched at my long locks protectively. "Thats so......creepy. I know some parents here who would do that." That brought on a wave of sad memories, and Demos could tell because he moved on to another fact.

"Do you know where Hermes Caduceus comes from?" I shook my head no, and he continued. "Well, when surgery was like, medival, there were these things called Guniea Worms. If you drank water with Guinea Worms in it, they'd go in your stomach, then end up in your leg. Adults can grow up to two feet long. The only way for doctors to get rid of them was to cut open the leg and pull it out slowly. But heres the catch; if you pulled it out to fast, the worm would rip and stay instead, festering, rotting, and causing a deadly infection. So it'd normally take seven days. When it's done, the doctor would wrap it around a stick, and put it on display, showing the world that they knew how to get the job done."

I listened in sick horror. "Do you know that's disgusting?"

Demos and Jace, who I noticed had been listenting too, laughed. It must be a boy thing. Demos started again, "Did you know..."

Jace interrupted him. "That your annoying? Yeah, its been established."

**A/N: Hahah. Not the best way to end. Sorry. But heres where the real action starts.**


	10. Chapter 10

'Smack!' A sharp, burning pain on the side of my face woke me up. I rolled over grumpily and looked up into Jace's smirking face.

"Good morning starshine, the earth says hello." His sarcastic voice greeted me.

"Did you seriously just quote Willy Wonka?" I asked, my voice muffled.

Did you know you sleep like the dead?" He said. I groaned and rolled back over. "Oh no you don't," I heard, then I was heaved upwards from my seat.

"Put me down!" I screamed in defiance. A hand covered my mouth, so my next words were muted.

I felt myself being passed to another pair of arms, Demos, as we made our way down the train. Jace's hand was removed from my mouth so he could shut the door. I kicked him when Demos put me down.

"Ow! Now im glad I slapped you!" He groaned, hobbling on one foot.

"Shush!" Demos commanded, and I finally caught onto their somber, prepared mood.

"What's up?" I asked, a little to cheerfully. They exchanged a glance.

"While you were asleep, the conductor decided to make an impromptu check of tickets. We need to get off, or were gonna be arrested."

I looked concernedly around. "And how do you think were going to get off a train going full speed?"

Jace laughed, while Demos shot him a dirty look. "Were already in Nebraska, I can tell from all the corn." Glancing outside, I found that we were indeed surronded by corn fields. "I bet were 30 minutes, an hour tops from the station. All we have to do is jump off."

He went and opened the back door, showing me that we simply had to take a leap off into the corn.

"This doesn't look safe." I sounded feeble.

Jace gave me a look, while Demos scrutinized the corn. "Yeah, because its not. We have to hit the corn from exactly the right direction, or else we'll go splat."

Jace rolled his eyes. "And from which direction is that, oh great wise one?"

When Demos glared at him, I realized the two boys would most likely never get along. "Jump from here," He commanded, then stepped back.

"Guess I'm first," Jace summarized, and leaped off the train without notice.

My shocked scream was snatched away by the wind. Demos took my hand, and almost bashfully said "Be careful, okay?" Then so fast I hardly comprehended, he gave me a peck on the cheek and hopped off the train.

I touched my cheek, shocked. I had never thought about me and Demos, like, as a couple. But before I could get any further in my thoughts, I heard a shout from the train compartment.

"Hey! You there! Get back inside!" It was the conductor. With a deep sigh, I took a flying leap off the train, my heart left somewhere behind.

The corn actually muffled my fall pretty well. The landing was actually soft, until I discovered a corn husk poking me in the eye. I heaved myself up, trying to discern the way out, and thats when I saw the spider.

It was huge, at least a foot across, and hairy. Its beady eyes seemed to stare me down, and I froze in fear. I had never been really scared of spiders, but this one looked like it could do some damage.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I started inching backwards. That is, until a voice yelled "Lila!"

The spider jerked its eyes away from me for a moment, and right then I unsheathed my knife and sprang at it. It didn't even notice, until it was a pile of dust on the ground.

Looking behind me, I saw Jace and Demos looking at me. Jace looked a little impressed, maybe even bored. Demos looked relieved, like he had been terrified.

I got up and sheathed my knife. "Nice one." Demos said, his voice a little worried. Jace just nodded at me.

"So. Where do we go now?" I asked, a little confused. I looked around and saw we were on a dirt road, surronded by corn fields on both sides, dark storm clouds rolling in, and basically no shelter anywhere in sight.

Demos pondered my question, while Jace looked up the road one way, and then down the other. "That way," He deduced.

"Why?" Demos prodded. "We'd be going into the storm."

"Well first, Mr. Smarty Pants, its the direction the train was going. And second, its away from whatever that is."

He gestured back, and I noticed a rustling far off in the corn field, as if something was heading our way.

"I vote that way!" And we started jogging.

We got a few feet before Demos stopped dead in horror. Jace and I stopped, confused, and looked back at him. His face was absolutely terrified. "Lila," Demos said, voice shaking. "Your knife is celestial bronze, right?"

I nodded, and all the color drained out of his face. "How would you kill a spider, if it was absolutely normal, with a celestial bronze blade that only works on monsters?"

I could feel myself go pale also, and heard a scuttling sound behind us. Whatever was in the corn was getting closer. That was the que for us to start running.

The thing behind us was moving fast. We got only a mile up the road before we heard the sound in front of us too. "They surronded us!" Demos shouted, jerking to a stop. We all stood back to back, waiting. It wasn't very long before they emerged.

Spiders. Hundreds of them, ranging all sizes, from up to my hip, to the size of my pinky nail. They all surronded us, eyes unblinking, until a row of them parted. From out of the corn came the obvious leader. Twenty feet across in length, sprouting thick hair all over her body, menacing five feet above us, was the queen of spiders.

"Enemy of Athena, mother of all spiders," Demos breathed. "Arachne."

**A/N: Im so so so so sorry to leave you with such a cliffhanger. Especially since im going to camp until saturday, and then worlds of fun. I wont be able to write until next next wednesday. So sorry. But leave me a bunch of lovely reviews! Love you all! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So So SO sorry! **

Looking death in the face, I decided this was not the way I wanted to die. Murdered by _spiders _in the middle of _nebraska_? Sure, it'd be heroic, with my friends, going down fighting, but today wasn't going to be my last.

The spiders clicked their fangs excitedly, hungry for some half-blood. I could feel the tension rising, so I attacked the issue head-on.

"Arachne," I spoke up, my voice trembling a bit. I felt Demos quivering next to me, scared out of his mind. "We've done you no harm, what do you want?"

THe spiders clicking ceased, as they all looked to their leader. Arachne took her time to answer, sizing us up. "Lila," She clicked, although I only heard the words in my mind. It seemed Demos and Jace couldn't hear her at all. "I know what you seek, and I've come to give you the answer. Your mother sent me to bring you to her."

I absorbed all of this in shock, hearing only snatches after she said 'your mother.' Demos's voice snapped me out of it.

"What's she saying?" He asked. I repeated it to him, and he became defensive. "Don't believe her, Lila," he said, even though his voice was cracking in fear. "Your mom, whoever she is, would never use such monstrous creatures such as these to summon you. Also, why would there be so many of them to just bring you to her?"

The queen spider turned her beady eyes upon him. "We will deliever you to our master, no matter what. Tell the Son of Victory that he needs not be involved. Our grudge against Athena prevents us from letting the other boy go also, but the Son of Victory may go free."

I told Jace everything she said, and I felt Demos stiffen about the 'grudge against Athena' part. Jace's face flushed when he heard her proposition, and he turned to the great spider.

"If you think im going to abandon my friends, you have another thing coming. I wouldn't go with you if you looked like Aphrodite! Neither will my friends, so you'll have to make us!"

I laughed, elated that Jace was blatanly making fun of someone who could very easily kill us.

Arachne didn't think it was so funny. "Very well," She hissed. "You may all come to your demise much sooner than Hades expected. But, what he doesn't know wont hurt him." Then she lunged right at us.

Arachne had a very good strategy. Since I was the only one that could hear her, she would take the boys by surprise. But she had underestimated me, and when she lunged, my knife was right there to intercept her.

Unfortunately, she was to big to dissolve from contact with celestial bronze. But I did sever one of her legs, making her emit a screech so loud I had to clamp my hands to my ears.

"Jace, Demos, get out of here!" I screamed, slicing spiders left and right. I saw them doing the same, and wondered where Arachne had gotten to. "It's me they want, you two can get reinforcements from camp!"

"Like hell we will!" Yelled Jace.

At the same time Demos yelled "Not in a million years."

I felt surprisingly emotional at having such good friends. But then a spider nibbled at my ankle, and I was brought back down to earth.

I don't know how long we held them, slicing up the little ones individually and taking on the bigger ones together. All I knew was that at one moment we were still surronded, and being pressed back, and at the next, they cleared out.

Jace chased the last few little ones, whooping and yelling. I smiled tiredly, still on guard. Demos turned to me, wiping sweat of his brow.

"That was...fun." He said awkwardly. I laughed, and linked my arm with his.

"Yeah, Smart Guy."

"So I have a theory to why only you could hear them." I groaned, knowing that Demos would jump right on the facts. "I think, it's because of who your mother-"

But he was cut off from his explination by a sudden rush. Towering over us, but still missing a leg, with Arachne. Her little minions scurried about, and I whipped my blade out.

She did the spider equivilant of chuckling, and I found one of her legs crushing me to the ground. Apparently Demos and Jace were having the same experiance, because I heard the shocked yells.

"Don't you know yet, Lila, that fighting fate is pointless?" I heard Arachne chuckle. I was working on wiggling my arm out as she continued talking. "You should know best that your mother doesn't care for you. Have you noticed her helping you ever, even in your most desperate situations? Even now, as you face death, your mother ignores your existance."

As Arachne rambled on, I prayed to my mother for the first time. '_Mom,'_ I started, a little hesitantly. _'Please, please help me.'_

That's all I had time for, because then Arachne's eyes were right in my face. "So, any last words, little hero?"

I thought about it, then spat right in her eyes. She roared, and I used that to finally get my arm out from her foot, and stab her again.

Arachne wasn't happy about me taking off another one of her legs. She rose to her full height and snarled. But I felt suddenly powerful, as if the earth was backing me to. Little spiders were swallowed up into the ground, bigger ones covered by vines. Arachne looked around bewildered, and then faced me.

"This isn't over, young one." And then she turned and fled.

I was sure she was gone for good this time, so I went to celebrate with Jace and Demos. Jace was standing up, brushing himself off and making a face, but where Demos once laid was a big empty spot, leading off to marks that looked like he had been dragged off.

I screamed in frustration and anger, falling to my knees. I felt weak and useless, and I could feel things dying around me. "Demos," I whispered, a single tear dripping down my cheek. "Demos."

**A/N: Hahah, wow, im an awful person. Sorry, its the first day of school. Im tired and worried (freshmannnn(:) I'll write more this weekend (:**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I kinda gotta schedule goin on. one week i update love in a mist, the next i update the titanic. check out my other stories while you waiting for an update (:**

"Lila...?" I heard a voice hesitantly say as I knelt there in the grass, the tears running silently down my face.

"Lila, please." The voice said a little later, sounding extremley distraught. Yet again I ignored the voice, until I heard a rustling near me, and a faint crunching noise that was getting closer. I felt hands grasp around my shoulders, half-lifting me to face the speaker.

Jace's face was full of worry and sorrow. Seeing his expression, I fell against him, and great wracking sobs filled my body.

"Shhhh. Shhh," He soothed me, patting my back and holding me up. He took my face in his hands and made me look him straight in the eyes. "We can save him."

He sounded so sure of it, but I felt absolutely powerless against the fates. They must have wanted his string cut if they made his worst nightmare become a reality. "How?" I asked, my voice sounding hollow and broken. "Theres hundreds of them, and two of us."

He put his finger to my lips, and gently brushed my hair back with his hand. "It doesn't matter how or when, or even if we succeed. All we can do is try." Then he did something that surprised both of us. He leaned closer and brushed his lips against mine.

For a second, all was still, until he moved back and opened his eyes. I took a step back, then another, my eyes wide and shocked. His kiss had been like drinking an energy drink, it woke me up and filled me with energy. For the first time, I looked around myself at our surrondings.

What had once been a dirt road with cornfields around it, was now a blackened circle of ash. The corn, it seemed, had disintegrated into black ash. There was about a thirty-foot wide circle around us, and the rest of the corn leaned away, as if a fierce wind has blown them to that position.

A horrified expression came onto my face, and, forgetting about what had just transpired, I looked at Jace. "What....happened?"

He took his time to answer, glancing at the corn, the sky, the ash, anything but me. Then he sighed defeatedly, "After you realized what happened to Demos, you uttered this heart-wrenching scream. An awful, oppresive feeling stole across the area around you, and all the plants withered and died. It didn't affect me, but it was horrible to watch."

I felt my heart break as I looked at the nature that I had killed. "Oh," I whimpered, my voice feeble. I could feel an emotion growing on me, but I didn't recognize what it was until I was furious. Furious at Jace for kissing me and pretending nothing had happened. Furious at the spiders for taking Demos. Furious at my mother for abadoning me. And furious at myself, for letting everything happen.

I grabbed my dagger, yanking it out of the blackened soil. It only took one word to convince Jace: "Come."

Then I stalked off, following the spiders path. I'm not sure how I knew where to go, but after about 3 miles we entered a small clump of trees. I could see a city off in the distance, close enough to go to when it was all done. I brushed away a dead leaf, and caught my hand on something. A spiderweb.

A cruel, merciless smile lit my features, and I started forward. Jace caught my arm. "Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

I guess the expression on my face was enough for him. He let go of my arm, and followed my silently as I rampaged through the forest. I didn't care about alerting them; I wanted them to know I was coming.

I saw a break in the trees, and I lunged forward, whiping out my dagger. I contemplated the scene before me for a second, before I unleashed my fury.

Literally hundreds of smaller spiders littered the ground, all leading up to Arachne. She towered next to a web, and pinned on it, unconcious, was Demos.

My dagger hit Arachne directly in the chest as she turned to see the disturbance. The other spiders surged forward, defending their leader, but they all were dead before they got even near me. I could feel the toll this was taking, so I strolled right up to Arachne, snatching my blade out of her chest.

She shrieked again, and I was covered in dust as it leaked out of her. Yet, she still was not dead. I stabbed her repeatedly in the chest, the legs, the eyes, whichever spot I could hit in my blind fury. Tears wet my cheeks, and I think I even uttered a sob a time or two.

I brought my dagger back again and again, puncturing the giant spiders body. A ragged scream burst through my clenched teeth, and I brought the dagger back one last time. But before I could strike the final blow, a hand caught my arm. I turned and snarled at whoever interrupted me. I found Jace standing there, the spiders all gone, his hands held up in front of him.

That's when I realized I was the crazy one. I hadn't been there really, my mind had been wrapped up by a feverish need to destroy, to kill. My dagger fell from my hand, and my face crumpled.

As the tears fell, I suddenly felt so tired, it was bone-deep. I swayed on my feet, and found Jace's arms there to support me. He set me onto the ground, and gave me ambrosia and nectar to me, and went to get Demos. I surveyed my surrondings once again, and found something that shocked me.

Where there had once been a fierce spider army, was now a field of sunflowers, shivering in the cold. I crawled among them, noticing not a trace of the spiders was left. Surprise at what I did flitted through me. I reduced an army of spiders to sunflowers, and killed the great Arachne, Queen of Spiders.

I heard a familiar sounding "Uhhhh." Demos stirred in his sleep, and for the first time since the spiders took him, I allowed a smile to cross my face.

**A/N: Sorry for the cheesy ending. REVIEW. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So sorry! I've been ridiculously busy. I would've written last week, but somehow I contracted the swine flu. All better now though (:**

"Do we have to?" I complained, tired of sneaking onto trains. After Demos has awoken and we had explained everything that had transpired to him, we set off for the big city I had seen in the distance.

The next few days were full of long train rides, few monster attacks, and copious fast food meals. Not that I had anything against Burger King and McDonalds, but there's only so many Big Macs you can eat.

This all led up to where we were, in Nowhere, Nevada, getting ready to board a train. This was the final leg of our trip, and I should've been excited. But all I could feel was the queasy nervousness I usually felt in correlation with my mother. Who could she be? I had a feeling Demos knew, but he had slowly withdrawn from me into his thoughts over the past couple of days. All the while Jace was getting more and more attractive.

My poor heart was so confused with the tide of feelings it had to deal with, that it had transformed me into something of a monster. I snapped at the littlest comment, picked fights with complete strangers, and my sarcastic two cents was added whenever an opportunity presented itself. To top it all off, nightmares persisted constantly anytime I fell into sleep.

That's what Demos and Jace thought I was doing at the moment, taking a nap. But if they knew how quickly the nightmares came, how horrid it was to have to listen to the womans whimpering, and how awful the man with the hat that became one horrible thing after another was, they would know that sleep was impossible. But I had taken this moment, sitting at the train station, to try and figure everything out.

First off, how to phrase my question to Nereus. I had heard that he was tricky, and could twist your question until the answer was hardly an answer at all, and all this had done was make me more nervous. I was positive that when the time came to ask my question, I would blurt out 'Where's the nearest Taco Bell?', and our whole quest would be futile.

The second, less urgent problem was the nightmares. But, out of everything, it was the third problem that really had me stumped. Demos and Jace, my two best friends in the world, were quickly showing their potential for more than friends.

On one hand, there was sweet, intelligent Demos, who had been my friend forever. The shy, heart-warming kiss on the cheek had only reinforced the feeling that had been buzzing around in my head for months; that Demos would make a very good boyfriend. Yet, there was Jace. Dangerous, handsome Jace, with his no-nonsense attitude. His kiss had only baffled me, and provoked feelings that I shouldn't feel towards a guy with a girlfriend. Especially since that girlfriend was my close friend. Demos, the best friend whose quiet ways showed me how much he cared. Jace, the mystery whose casual flirting showed me how easy love could be. It was a wonder my heart hadn't given out.

A warm, hesitant hand touching mine was what reminded me of the outside world. I forced my eyelashes to flutter, feigning that I had just woken out of a deep sleep, and faked a yawn.

Sitting next to me, holding a mysterious bag, was Demos. He noticed my scrutiny of the bag and shifted it behind him. "Sleep well?"

"Sure. What's in the bag?" I cut right to the chase.

"Well, I know how sick you are of this fast food, and after a quick tour of the train station, I discovered your favorite place in the world."

Disbelieving, I gasped. "There is _not_ a Jimmy Johns here!"

Wielding a Pepe with no tomatoes, Demos was my hero. I told him so, which brought out a blush.

"It was nothing. I just thought maybe you wanted a reminder of the old times." The way he said it made it sound like 'the good times'.

Guiltily shifting my gaze to the food, I dug in. Lettuce, cheese, ham, mayonaisse, and the fresh-baked bread just from the oven, the sandwhich was a godsend. Demos also started eating, devouring his gargatuan.

In a few short minutes, the sandwhiches were no more. Demos then unveiled more surprises, a Giant Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, and a Jimmy Johns pickle. When we both were finished, I finally realized something. "Where's Jace?"

A hint of disapproval crossed his face, and then Demos wiped his face of emotion. "Taking advantage of the bathroom, and the fact that the sink is low enough to climb in."

I noticed Demos face was cleaned of the dirt and grime that probably covered mine. His blond hair was once again a distinguishable color, and his clothes were slightly damp.

"Oh. I probably should go do that too."

He snickered. "Well, unless you plan to catch Nereus with your smell." I blushed, and his face turned regretful. "Sorry, that was un-called for. I know how rough its been."

I nodded, turning my face away from him. "I'll go tidy up then." Then I left him, silent and thoughtful.

Looking into the mirror, as I hadn't done for days, I realized why people at the station were giving us such funny looks. My black hair, absorbing every layer of dirt that came its way, was matted and no longer straight. My face was practically the same color as my chocolate eyes, and the healing wounds that spontaneously covered my body looked as if I had gotten thrown in a blender. Sighing, I turned on the sink and faced the cold water.

I can tell you that was not the most pleasant washing of my life. Hand soap does function as a body wash and shampoo though, so I emerged relatively clean ten minutes later.

It seemed I was just in time. A voice rang out across the station "Now boarding train 106 to San Francisco."

Rejoining my friends, I braced myself for one last train ride.

**A/N: Filler chapters, how I hate thee. Hahah. So tell me, LilaxDemos, or Jace. Review !**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Sorry ! Sorry so sorry, a million times sorry !**

I rolled my shoulders, hearing them quietly crack. The gentle, San Francisco fog muffled my words. "Ugh. I never want to ride on a train again."

Jace responded with a slight smile. Demos didn't respond at all. I could tell they were nervous about today, the day we had been waiting for. Finally we had arrived in San Francisco, during the early morning hours. We had half the day looking around, relaxing for once. But now, every step we took brought us closer to the dock, where I would question Nereus.

I was nervous about the big day too, but the bad thing was that when I got nervous, I got hyper. My feet bounced along the sidewalk, and my mouth never stopped moving. It seemed the clean, San Francisco air had been good for me, along with the sandwich. I felt great, strong as ever.

The boys, however, looked like they had been sleeping on a train for about a week. They acted like it too. Ever since we had arrived in San Fran, all I'd gotten was one word answers and tiny, second-long smiles. Also, when they talked, it was in quiet, emotionless voices.

I was confused, which only added to my nervous habit of talking. The closer we got, the more things spewed out of my mouth. It was only when our feet finally touched the boards of the dock that one of the guys talked, cutting off my comment about how pretty the blue of the sea was here.

"Lila, don't forget. Either the question 'Who are my parents', or 'Where are my parents', should suffice." Demos said. Then he stepped forward to give me a quick hug. After a flash of jealousy sparked in his eyes, Jace gave me a hug too.

My cheeks colored, and my mouth finally clamped shut. " You guys can't come?" I asked, trying to cover the awkwardness.

"No, three would be too suspicious. Don't let him get in the water, you'll never be able to catch him there." Demos told me, then took a step back.

I sighed, turning my back to both of them, then strode down the dock. Looking at each homeless person I saw along the way, I noticed none of them fit Demos's description of an old man, smelling like dead sea creatures.

That is, until I found him, sitting at the very end of the dock. His feet dangled off the edge, and he layed on his back. With a huff, I plopped down next to him.

He glanced at me quickly, out of the corner of his eye. Then he turned to look straight-on at me. "What?" He asked gruffly.

I smiled my prettiest, most innocent smile. I could tell this had no affect, because after sleeping on a train for a week, I may feel alright, but I did not look my best. "Well sir, I just wanted to ask you a question if that would be alright."

Almost faster than I could comprehend, smelly man tried to propel himself off the edge of the dock, into the water. I grabbed his hand right before he made the plunge, and practically got dragged in with him.

Balancing delicately, I found myself tipping slowly towards the water, dragged by the mans weight. Planting my feet and heaving for all I was worth, I flung myself backwards with momentum. Where the mans weight had once been, there was now a small, orange goldfish. It blinked at me, and I blinked back, then automatically dropped it.

With a slight 'pop' that I probably missed before, the man who must have been Nereus appeared. "Demigods!" He spat, making it sound like a curse. "Always bothering me. Answer this, answer that. Can I ever get a break?"

I took a defensive stance, trying to keep him from the water. He chuckled slighty, which only infuriated me even more. With another 'pop', he turned into a sea lion and streaked for the water.

Holding my palms face out, I quickly said a silent prayer_. Please mother, please please please help me_.

All of a sudden there was a rush of wind, the smell of sunflowers, and a hyper-aware feeling in my limbs. With all the authority I had, I commanded "Stop Him."

The crackling of boards alerted me to what I had done. Growing up between the planks was thick, neon orange vines, with sharp as daggers thorns decorating them.

Nereus squeeled as they wrapped around him, trying to make himself as small as could be. It went from sea lion, to otter, to electric eel, to goldfish. Abandoning that route, he transformed back into a human, his face purple from the tight vines.

"I-I-Ill a-answer." He managed to wheeze. Releasing my grasped fist slightly, I gave an order to the willing vines. It was almost as though they had a conciousness, making thoughts and producing feelings. They were elated to be in my presence, I noticed. So when I ordered them to loosen their hold on the smelly man, they complied immediately.

Nereus gasped at the newly-avaliable air, as I stalked up to him. Wrapped in the vicious vines, he looked quite pitiful, so I decided to make it quick. "One question, right? I'll let you go after."

Nodding, with a very pissed off look on his face, he mumbled, "One question."

"Wherearemyparents?" I blurted out, eager not to mess up.

At the confused look on his face, I took a deep breath and said more slowly, "Where are my parents?"

A smirk immediately crossed his features, until he regained his emotions. "Ohhh, your parents. Lonely little Demigod, are you?" I tightend my fist slightly, making the vines squeeze him uncomfortably.

"That's an easy one," he spat. "Just keep going down. You'll find both of them sooner or later."

"WHAT!?" My enraged shriek only made him smile broader. "That's no answer, you evil, conniving bastard!"

I then took another step towards him, hands out. I'm not quite sure what I was planning on doing, but the arrival of two people stopped me.

Demos and Jace wedged themselves between me and Nereus. "What happened, Lila?" Demos asked, while Jace just glared at Nereus.

"He-I-He, answer!" I spluttered, incoherent with rage.

"The little brat has to be satisfied with her answer." Nereus smirked, earning a glare from both of them.

"Did you ask him?" Jace inquired, cracking his knuckles menacingly at Nereus.

"Oh, I asked him alright. 'Where's my parents?' I asked. You know what he told me!? To go down! Down!" I was livid with rage, flexing my hands, enjoying watching Nereus's face turn purple again and again.

"Lila," Demos gently said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I think I can make sense of what he said. Besides, you can't kill him. He'll just disappear and come back again."

A thoughtful look crossed Nereus's face. "The young Son of Athena speaks the truth. But, while I'm here, I think I should spill some secrets of Lila's that have remained in the closet far too long."

The color drained from my face, and my hands dropped limply to my sides. Loosing my attention, the vines retreated back into the boards.

**A/N: Suckish way to end the chapter, but it was getting too long. Update due in like, 2 minutes.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Told you it'd be soon.  
Warning- Difficult subject in the italics.**

Nereus spoke, eash word stabbing me like a brand new sword. It was now him advancing on me, weakend by his words, I took feeble steps back. Demos and Jace could only stand there, shocked.

"Well, Lila's stepfather, Dane, was a bit of a drunk. Actually, he was a full scale alchoholic. And one time when he was drunk...."

His words trailed off, as I revisted the memory in my mind.

_It was another cold, rainy day in my home of Vermont. Dropping my bag off at the door, I realized that I was not alone. Dane apparently had already made his daily visit to the bar, because the house reeked of cigarette smoke and booze. Automatically knowing it wasn't safe in the living room, I directed myself to the kitchen, planning to prepare dinner._

_A few throaty chuckles was all I heard from the living room, and I realized Dane must have company. Sighing because of the extra food I would have to make, I reached for the cupboard door. Another hand grabbed mine before it could even make it there._

_"The boys want to meet my new 'daughter'", Dane's slurred voice breathed into my ear. Trembling slightly, I scuttled into the living room. Three other men, two on the couch, and one in the armchair, stood looking at me as if I was a piece of meat._

_"Not much to look at, is she?" One of them boomed, and they all responded with drunken laughter. My face flushed with embarrasment._

_"Just wait til you see what she's got underneath," Dane said, then ripped off my jacket._

_The next thing I knew was shame. Attempting to cover myself, but against four grown men, fighting a hopeless battle. _

_Hot breath on my face, and pain. Each and every one of those men took me against my will, leaving me ragged, lying on the floor, sobbing. They retreated to the kitchen, and I was left to gather myself. I vowed that no one would ever find out. I was only eleven._

'Until now,' I thought, as the memory came to an end.

"Lila," A voice breathed, right in my face. I opened my eyes to find that I had crumpled into a ball, lying on the boardwalk. Demos was right next to me, concerned. I flinched at his proximity, and wiped my face of the tears that had started falling like a waterfall.

In the background, I heard slicing, and the sound of something....almost hissing. "Lila," Demos demanded, making me turn my attention back to him. I avoided his eyes, though, for fear of the disappointment and lothing I would see in them.

"Lila, you need to calm down. Your strangling Nereus, and if you make him reform, he'll hate you forever."

I became aware of the conciousness once again. The plant had somehow felt my distress and responded, knowing my anger was directed at Nereus. While I was taking a walk down memory lane, the vines had slowly crept us Nereus's body, wrapping him in their tight, painful holds. Jace was trying to hack them off, while the old man turned more purple by the second.

A couple deep breaths and a snap of my fingers was all it took to release Nereus. Sensing my relunctance to do it, the vines were slow to respond, taking a full five minutes to creep down between the planks once more.

Finally, when the vines were gone, I clambered to my feet. Jace and Demos rushed over to help me, but I brushed them off, still refusing to look them in the eyes.

Stalking my way over to Nereus, who was still weezing, I wiped the last tears free of my face.

"Y-You owe me another question, after what you did to me." My voice cracked on the first word, shattering the illusion I was trying to create.

Nereus simply smirked right into my face, and said "I do not 'owe you' shit." Then he spat in my face.

With a roar, I lunged forward. But Nereus, with centuries of practice, did a backflip into the ocean. When I looked over the edge, I saw a dolphin streaking away.

Tight hands wrapped around my waist were the only thing that restrained me from going after him.

"We can find him again. I can catch him and ask this time. Don't worry." Jace reassured.

"Maybe we can find my mother, or Apollo is always willing to help!" Demos thought up.

I stood there, silent, as the wind brushed my hair along gently. "That's not the only thing. What he said.....he had no right to speak of."

There was silence for a few seconds, then Demos and Jace burst, their words overlapping.

"If you think that matters," Demos started.

"It makes you no different in my mind," Jace rushed.

I stopped their babbling, tears filling my eyes once more. Turning around, I hugged them both to me.

"Thank you." I managed to choke out, while they both stroked my hair.

Gulping back the tears that wanted to once again make their appearance, I stepped back. "Let's go back to camp."

"Together," Jace declared, and Demos nodded.

We all started to stride down the boardwalk, but before we could, an emotionless voice spoke. "How......touching."

Spinning to face the voice, a group seemed to materialize from the shadows. In the middle was a tall figure, clad in the darkest black, holding a matching sword. Only his almost black, brown eyes showed through slits in the helmet.

But a more pressing issue was the figures who surronded him. Around ten skeletons, dressed in ragged armor, were fast approaching us.

Whipping out my dagger, prepared to fight, I found myself struck by a tremendous blow from behind. Falling to the ground, surronded by the sounds of battle, I heard a faint whisper before I passed out. "Were going home, sister."

**A/N: It's obvious now who her parent is......To the keener ones. But all....or most at least will be revealed next chapter. For now, entertain me with your guesses. Also, big A+ to The Ocean Is My Inkwell, who commented almost every chapter in the story last night. And, I have a story recommendation for you. Although I don't usually go for the whole DemiTitan thing, I found the story A Summer Worth Remembering to be absolutely excellent ! Thanks to all my reviewers. The story will wrap in.......like 5 chapters. Maybe.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Half asleep....**

'Ugggh', Was my only thought upon waking up. My head ached, chills ran up and down my spine, and I was pretty sure every hair on my body was standing straight up.

Rolling over, I found that I had been deposited on the ground, facedown. The forming bruise on my forehead told me that I had simply been dropped.

After opening my eyes, I had to focus a little, because the world was going in and out of focus. Blearily, I clambered to my feet. My surrondings finally came into focus after I blinked hard a clouple of times. But they weren't much to look at.

Any place I looked, I could only seem. Pushing my hands out for walls, I discovered I was in some type of stone box. A prison maybe? All I knew was that the walls were way too close, and I didn't have nearly enough room.

Sitting back back and placing my head between my legs, I tried to regulate my breathing. But the tears could not be stopped, and they came thick and fast. Clausterphobia was one of my huge fears.

Focusing my mind, I took stock of my body. Bruises on my head, back, and arms. Scratches ran up and down my arms and legs, and one that felt deeper than the rest struck right across my cheek. A seperate part of my mind took care of my breathing, make sure I didn't hyperventilate. Soon, very soon, I would have a full-blown panic attack.

But that moment never came, because a few deep breaths in, I heard a deep grinding noise. The wall right behind me sunk into the ground, leaving me sprawled out across the ground. Standing in front of me, looking quite disdainful, was the figure in the black armor. Yet, armorless, I recognized him. Nico, the Son of Hades. The boy from camp who had so brutally sword fought me.

A slight gasp came out of my mouth, as his ice-cold fingers closed around my arm and heaved me up.

"Come on," was all that he said, and I was left to scamper after him.

He led me through the castle, which is the only word I could think to call the massive stone building we were in, like he lived there. Finally emerging in what seemed like the center of the structure.

Another gasp escaped, as I looked upon a gorgeous, flourishing garden. It looked like it had never heard of the word 'winter'. Gems literally dripped down trees, spilled across pathways, and everywhere I looked, flowers of every shape and size bloomed. A thought crossed my mind, that if I could just meet the maker of this garden, I would be forever happy.

I had missed one thing in the scrutiny of the garden, and they came into view as Nico led me around a corner. On two magnificent thrones, one made entirely of bones, and one shaped like a splendid gilded flower, sat a man and a woman. It was obvious from the moment I laid eyes on them that they were gods.

The man wore a deep black robe, that seemed to have faces in it? His face was strong and proud, almost to the point of being haughty. His skin seemed paler than most peoples, and his eyes and hair were darker than the blackest night. I recognized him immediatly from my dream, Lord Hades, God of the Dead and Nico's father.

But it was the woman who really caught my interest. She was perched on her throne, looking terribly nervous. But even chalk-white and shaking, I could tell she was gorgeous. With thick black hair that hung down to her ribs, and the figure of a model, I was in awe. Clothing her was an awesome shirt that shimmered and sparkled, at one minute rose red, the next daisy yellow.

The thing that really got my attention was her eyes. Her deep, chocolate brown eyes, matching exactly the eyes from my dream. The only person she could be was Lady Persephone, Goddess of Springtime.

Yet, if Hades and Persephone were married, why had he been yelling at her in my dream? My question would be answered in one of Hades first sentences.

"Thank you, son." Lord Hades said, inclining his head to Nico. The entire time, his eyes had not left me. Persephone's looks alternated between me and Hades, and she was looking even more terrified than before.

Nico bowed, then took a seat that materialized out of the ground next to Hades. Sighing deeply, Hades finally addressed me.

"Lila Ariadne Briar. We meet at last. My past attempts to dispose of you have obviously failed." My mind flashed back to the subway 'accident', and Jace saying 'Hades must really hate you'. Finally was the proof of why.

"Well. Are you a mute?" Hades demanded, and I cleared my throat.

"No sir." I spoke, voice cracking slightly.

Hades smirked, obviously enjoying being addressed as 'sir'. "Well, are you wondering why I attempted to dispose of you?"

I nodded, fearing that he would hear the excitement of finally hearing the truth in my voice.

Hades settled back in his chair, getting into storytelling mode. "Well, little girl, 100-some years ago, I was forced to hide my own two children from my brother, Zeus. The contract we had agreed on stated I couldn't have anymore children, and I knew their lives were in jeopardy. But then, 17 years ago, I discovered Poseidon had broken the contract and had a child, so I released my two children."

Taking a deep breath, Hades continued. "My dear wife Persephone found out about this, and abadoned me as soon as spring came around. I didn't hear from her for months, until she was finally due to come back. How she concealed her bulging stomach from me, I know not. But the day she became free, she delivered her first child in history. The day was March 20th. As soon as I became aware of this happening, I destroyed the childs father. But the child was hidden from me elusively. Only when she went underground did I know of her."

Pieces started falling into place for me, and Hades next words revealed them to me. "That child was you. Your are Persephones first, and only child."

**A/N: Kudos to all whole figured it own. BTDubbs (by the way), if you read my story, The Titanic, just know I will finish this first before continuing it. The Titanic will also be my 2nd to last or last story. Thank you!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Well it's been quite awhile....**

The only thing I could hear, other than the far off sound of dripping water, was my own heavy breathing. I couldn't say I was exactly shocked. All the signs pointed to it. My love of flowers, the strawberry incident, the incident with Arachne....

I'd been so stupid. Coming this close to Hades, without even thinking about it. Why hadn't I just waited until March?

Hades sat, appraising me, almost furiously. Nico sat, looking at me thoughtfully. Persephone, my......my mother, wasn't even looking at me. She was staring at the ground, the ceiling high above us, the flowers, anything but me.

"You do not seem surprised." Hades guessed.

I shrugged slightly, "Seem's like all the signs pointed to it. Wouldn't take Athenas kid to figure it out."

Hades smirked at me, then turned to Persephone. Catching her chin between his hands, he turned her face to look at me. "What say you, my dear, of your little bastard child?"

Persephones eye's softened as she looked at me, and once again I was struck by my own stupidity. Of course I looked like a mirror image of her, only very short, which I must've gotten from my father. Also, after the weary days of travel, and the battle, I looked a little worse for the wear.

"She is indeed my daughter," Persephone spoke, for the first time. Her voice was like a bells on a spring breeze, light and youthful. "I admit to that. I also take full responsibility for her deeds up to this point."

Confused, I looked to Hades. He was stroking his chin like he had a goatee. "What to do, what to do," Hades sighed, looking from me to his wife.

Persephones frightened eye's caught mine, and I was confused all the more by her terror.

"You see, if this goes unpunished, all the God's wifes will be having affairs. Hera and Amphitrite will start to get ideas. It will make me look terrible. But I cannot destroy you, that would upset my dear wife. What a conundrum."

"Hades, my dear-" Persephone started, but Hades cut her off.

"Aha! I know what to do! My dear Persephone, perhaps your daughter does not have to suffer. How about we add another month to our arrangement, and I'll forget she even exists."

I felt the breath whoosh out of me, and saw Persephones face go white. So they were deliberating about me! Knowing this would cost me, I spoke up finally.

"Lord Hades, do not punish Persephone. How about I stay in the Underworld a month a year?"

Hades still looked undecided, so I raised the stakes. "Two months? I could help Persephone with the garden. I could clean your home. I could spend time with Nico."

Hades must have heard the desperation in my voice, because he smirked. "I believe we just made a deal, Demigod."

His hand reached out to mine, and without thinking, I lunged forward and grasped it. Ice cold fingers grasped mine for a second, and a thin gold rope entwined our hands, then dissolved.

"Lila Briar, until the day you die, you will be bound to spend two months a year in the underworld." With a firm shake of my hand, Hades got up, shook his robes, and strode out of the garden. Nico stayed, looking curiously at me.

Persephone, glancing from me to Nico, stood also. "I'll let you two get acquainted," She murmered, then scampered out of the garden after her husband.

Sending a glare Nico's way, I got up to inspect the garden more closely. Feeling him shadowing me, I whirled around. "What exactly do you want? You brought me here and pleased your dear old daddy, what else can you possibly want?!"

I felt cold, watching him stare at me. He beat me in height by at least a foot, and seemed to smirk while looking down on me. "I'm trying to figure you out. Why did you do that? You could've gotten off spot-free. Yet you agreed to spend two months a year _here."_ His mouth curled a little, and his voice hissed when he said the word 'here'.

"It's obvious how much Persephone doesn't want to spend an extra month here. And I don't like owing people things. That a good enough answer for you?"

Eyebrows still furrowed, he shook his head a little, as if he still couldn't figure me out. "You know I didn't want to drag you down here. And I didn't purposely almost kill you. I knew who you were, and, well, you reminded me of someone."

Turning away from him, I murmered under my breath, "Must not be a happy memory."

Nico nodded, almost as if I meant for him to hear that. "It's not. I'll tell you about it sometime; it seems were going to be seeing alot of each other."

Disgusted, I walked away from him, thinking about what I could possibly do for the next two months. Nico called after me, "You know, you don't have to start now. You can do it anytime during the year, and the small days you spend here might just add up. Already you've got one day knocked off your total."

I paused at his words, interested. "So, say I came here about 5 days a month, 6 days on 2 months. They would add up, and I wouldn't have to spend two straight months here?"

Nico smiled at me, "Not bad, little sister. How about you serve your four more days this month, and I'll escort you back to camp."

Smiling also, I turned back to face him. "Sounds like a plan, big brother." Deep down inside, I began to think maybe, just maybe, Nico could grow on me.

And so I started day two of my time in the underworld.

**A/N: Ooooh, tricky. I can promise you right now, no way is there going to be a romance between Nico and Lila. But what is going to happen to her, Demos, and Jace? You'll have to wait to find out (:**


	18. Chapter 18

Sunlight seared my corneas, burning them in the most excruciatingly painful way. After spending five days in the Underworld, your eyes grew used to the blackness. Heck, after an hour in the bottomless pit of the Underworld, you would grow accustomed to the ever present shadows. Although I was serving out a forced sentence, the Underworld was actually starting to grow on me.

One thing about it was Lord Hades. It was quite awkward after our first initial spat, but he grew on me. We share the same sense of humor, although his is a couple shades darker than mine. Another thing was Nico, who fit perfectly to me as a brother and a friend. We spent hours touring Hell, him showing me the dark and beautiful sides. Another thing, a bonus I hadn't expected, was Lady Demeter. When we first met, we were both full of apprehension. But after she insisted that in no way may I call her Grandmother, the ice was broken.

A completely different story was my mother, Lady Persephone. I knew as long as I lived I would never be able to call her mother. She avoided me like I carried the plague, ducking into doorways when she saw me coming, and even completely neglecting her garden after discovering it was one of my favorite places.

Yet we all fit together, as if it had been meant to be this way. Our awkward little family, Hades always doom and gloom, Nico impassive and silent, Demeter bringing the motherly instinct we all needed, Persephone, bright and cheerful when I wasn't present, and me. Even Cerberus, whom Nico and I discovered loves little red balls. Oh, and Charon, who also stopped in for a glass of Nectar or two during slow hours. It seemed that we had all needed each other, yet did not know it until this moment.

Yes, I could grow to enjoy my time spent in the Underworld. But at the time, I was ready to get back to camp, and the friends that hopefully waited for me there.

"Hey, Lil Sis, snap out of it. We're almost there!" Nico's excited voice snapped me out of my reminiscing.

"Huh, what?!" I snapped my eyes open, glad to the sunglasses and the fact that they had adjusted to the light.

Nico opened the cab door for me, mockingly. 'We got in a cab when?' I wondered.

"Get your head out of the clouds, kid. We're here!"

Looking around, I discovered we had indeed arrived at our destination: Camp Half-Blood. It had only taken about an hour to go through The Door of Orpheus, then hail a taxi and head to Half-Blood Hill.

I noticed in Nico's hands were not only his suitcase, but mine also. "I'll take that!" I snapped at him, trying to pull it out of his hands.

He held it above his head, taunting me. "What's the matter, shortie? Can't reach it?"

I held my ground, straining to reach it. Nico transfered both suitcases to one hands, then ruffled my hair. "Don't worry, Sis, I got this."

Sighing, I knew it was inevitable to argue with him. After that first talk, when our first friendship was created, Nico and I had been behaving like brother and sister. And although this meant that we constantly teased and taunted each other, it also meant that Nico had a little case of overprotectiveness for me. This came with carrying things for me, holding doors open, and doing even slightly difficult tasks for me. I had a feeling that behind all of this was a story, yet Nico wouldn't even mention it.

So we made our way up Half-Blood Hill. Quietly making our way past Peleus, we stepped through the boundary. Immediately, an archer, a swordsman, and a satyr surronded us.

"Who are you?!" Snarled the swordsman while looking at me, obviously a child of Ares. Then he caught sight of Nico, a few steps back, lugging both of our suitcases. The swordsman's face brightend considerably. "Nico! My man, where've you been? And whose the chick?"

The satyr sniffed the air, then his eyes brightened. "It can't be.....Lila?!"

Looking closely at the satyr, I gained no recognition. "That's me. But....who are you?"

The satyr stood a smidgen taller. "I am Silas, recruiter and protector. Other satyrs and I were sent to search for you, yet the mission was abandoned yesterday. How did this come to be? You're alive and well?" Silas eyed Nico suspiciously.

Sighing, I started forward. Silas kept pace with leaving, leaving the archer and swordsman behind. Nico jogged a bit to keep up with us, weighed down as he was.

Silas continued to look questioningly between Nico and I, and finally he broke down. "Excuse me, but isn't Nico the one who kidnapped you? Sorry if I'm incorrect..."

Awkwardly, I looked to Nico to tell the story. He simply stared straight ahead, a grim expression on his face. "Let's just say alot more good came out of that than bad."

Ashamed, Silas looked towards the ground. "You'll understand when we explain it to Chiron. All will be revealed." I said, grimacing a bit at the complicated tale I would have to tell, as the Big House came into view.

Perched on his wheelchair, obviously finishing a game of pinochle with Mr. D, was said centaur. He glanced up at the sound of our arrival, then seemed to do a double take. "I must say, not often am I surprised, and even less is it pleasantly. Today is one of those rare occasions."

Chiron then rose from his chair, emerging as his full half-horse half-man body. Beckoning to me, then Nico, he directed us to come forward. Waving his hand at Silas, he said "Thank you for your services, my young satyr, but right now I have some difficult things to discuss with these two. I'm sure you'll hear about it soon enough, but for now, please leave us."

Silas bowed politely, curiousity burning in his eyes. Both Mr. D and Chiron turned to Nico and I, and I settled in to tell, literally, the story of my life.

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the crappy end....and the long wait. More will come once spring break hits ! Thanks all ! **

**P.S. ALERT--------BTW: The story is definately NOT over. I had someone ask me about that, and I just want to elaborate. I briefly considered ending the story here, but I have loose ends to tie up & such. So yes, the story will continue. I have everything planned out now, so it should come fairly quickly. Thank you all (:**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Broke 100 reviews, thanks!**

"Yes, that's right. Perfect!" I stated excitedly. Some satyrs, a few campers, and a Cyclops were the entire team that was dedicated to building a brand new cabin. One for Persephone, and thereby for me, her first child ever to attend Camp Half-Blood. It was a little less elegant and grand then some of the others, like Zeus and Aphrodite's, but it seemed almost natural.

The entire building was made of grass. Now, that may seem odd, or even gross, yet also coating the building were flowers, springing haphazardly from the walls. The wooden door, with a little coaxing on my part, now descended into the grass whenever a visitor stopped by. The windows were made of sea glass, glittering fabulously on sunny days. Then there was the inside of the building.

Seeming to grow right from the walls were the bunks, made out of wood, with the mattress placed easily in the middle. Flowers also decorated the inside, with a few plants actually growing in there. The ceiling was also made out of sea glass, offering a look directly into the sky. Dressers were also of wood, growing out of the ground. A small, tinkling spring ran its course in the back of the building, before leading out the back door. I had no idea how the cabin would fare in winter, yet I hoped, like me, it would repel snow and ice. All in all, it was a perfectly natural, serene environment, which suited me just fine.

With the extra help I had gotten from the satyrs, Children of Demeter, and Tyson, the Cyclops, the entire project had only taken a few hours. Satisfied with what they had accomplished, everyone dispersed, giving me some privacy in my new home.

Now was the time to go find my friends, Jace and Demos. Possibly even Katie, yet the first two were my priority. Setting off, I thought of the most likely places for them to be. Deciding upon the Sword fighting Arena, I altered my course slightly. Coming upon it, I heard wild, raucous cheering.

One side, it seemed, was shouting "Jace! Jace! Jace!". The other, equally loud, was yelling "Per-cy! Per-cy!"

It was then that I saw them, locked in a furious battle. Percy, having more experience and a few more inches under his belt, was going to be the obvious winner. Yet Jace, being a little more muscular, and of course being the Son of Nike, was putting up a decent fight. After watching for a few intense minutes, I saw Percy make the tiniest mistake. Right in the middle of a complicated move that would most likely force Jace to drop his sword, Percy glanced up, looking at the fans in the stadium. His eyes sailed past me at first, but then he did a double take. In shock, his sword fell to the ground. Jace, in his excitement, pressed his sword to Percy's neck. Yet Percy only had eyes for me.

Jace, finally understanding that his opponent was less that interested, finally looked in my direction. Incredulously, eye's wide, he said "Lila?".

This, of course, captured everyone's interest, as apparently I had been missing quite awhile. Practically stampeding me, Jace, Percy, and the rest of their audience ran to confront me. Not wanting to deal with the tedious telling of my story yet again, I turned and ran. Well, not just ran, I flat out booked it for the woods.

Everyone was left behind, confused by my appearance, and possibly by my sudden flight. Meanwhile I was weaving my way through the trees in the woods, desperate to get away.

Slowing down finally, a little winded, I heard someone fervently mumbling. I was headed in the right direction to find them, because the voice continued getting louder, until I could distinguish words.

"Oh Lady Persephone, Goddess of Springtime, Queen of the Underworld, heed my words. Please send your daughter back safely to me, for surely Lila is your daughter. Please, if you care for her one bit, return her safely to me, and I will protect her with my life, if that is what it takes. Oh Lady Persephone, Goddess of…"

Coming upon this scene, I couldn't quite distinguish who was speaking so passionately, reciting the same 3 sentences again and again. I never bet much on prayer, considering how unreliable the god's were; I preferred to do things myself. But perhaps Persephone did indeed hear the stranger's words, for in the next second a squirrel, which was supposedly next to me the entire time, took off into the undergrowth of the woods. This startled me, and caused such a noise, that the mysterious speaker jerked up.

"Who are you? What do you want?" They said, in a voice akin to panic. They came forward into the light, and finally I saw their face.

It was the same face, with honey-blonde hair and cloud-gray eyes, which I had seen for many years. Yet these eyes were hollow, the face gaunt and full of shadows. This face was completely devoid of life, except, I saw, a tiny fierce light, almost mad, gleaming in those dull gray eyes.

"Demos!" I gasped, throwing myself forward, into his arms.

Sounding almost confused, he responded, "Lila?" Holding me at arm's length, he seemed to examine me, checking that I had all 4 limbs and such.

"Oh my gods, Lila!" He finally threw open his arms and embraced me so tightly, I could hardly breathe. I felt his body shaking, deep, racking tremors, but until I felt the warm liquid seep onto my head, I didn't comprehend that he was crying.

We stayed like that, embraced, for a long time, until Demos tears had dried, and his body had stopped shaking. Yet still we did not part, an unspoken peacefulness descending upon us.

That is, until the conch horn blew in the distance. Demos and I then broke apart, both of us a little stiff from standing for so long. He looped his hand around mine, and it seemed so natural that I didn't dare protest.

Together, we made our way to the dining pavilion. Coming close on it, I dropped Demos hand, due to the awkward questions I didn't want to answer. Demos didn't ask, yet I saw a vivid disappointment in his now lively eyes.

Arriving to the pavilion, I braced myself for the scores of questions that were going to be thrown at me. But there, I was confronted with a sight I would never have imagined, after the weeks past events.

Jace, his brown hair tossed, his blue eyes dancing until his eyelids shut, leaning in. On the bench directly next to him, a tall, gorgeous figure, her black hair swaying, was Katie Gardner. My eyes didn't begin to process the scene until Jace pressed his lips, ever so gently, against Katie's.

**A/N: DUMDUMDUMMM. PLOT TWIST(: Well, the next chapter will explain all, including Lila's father. So sit back & enjoy!**


	20. Chapter 20

"What the Hades!" Were the first words out of my mouth, after my initial shock. Jace and Katie broke apart, sounding like a plunger being pulled out of a toilet. Jace looked appropriately ashamed as soon as he saw who had disturbed them. Katie simply looked around, confused, until her eyes rested on my figure.

"LILA!" She shouted, apparently oblivious to my anger. Pushing Jace aside, she ran and embraced me. "Oh, I knew you'd come back!"

Appraising Jace over Katie's shoulder, I saw him shrug, then beckon at me. "Katie," I said, delicately extracting myself from her clutches. "I have to go catch up with Jace for a bit. But I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

Nodding happily, Katie flounced off to spread the news. Without speaking, Jace and I mutually headed for the lake to talk.

Upon arrival at the lake, after a walk awkward five minute stroll, Jace flopped onto the dock, head in his hands. I stood there staring at him, fury practically rolling off me in waves. After standing for another five minutes, I sighed heavily and sat next to him, though separated by a few feet.

"I thought you were dead." I heard the figure next to me finally whisper, voice cracking slightly on the last word. He looked up at me, anguish coloring his face and eyes.

"I was gone for barely a week," I retaliated, staring at him coldly. No way was he going to sway me with those 'tear-filled' eyes.

"You don't understand!" Without seconds he was on his feet, towering over me. His anger came unexpectedly fast, but I showed no surprise. "You've never understood! Here, if someone disappears for a few days, they're presumed dead! Hardly any come back after an entire WEEK!"

"Demos never gave up on me!" I spat at him through my clenched teeth.

His shoulders tensed up, and he spoke his next words carefully, calculating. "Have you seen Demos?" Responding to my nod, he continued. "Then you know how he's been. Something's not right with him, like you took a part of him when you disappeared. Chiron was going to try and persuade Athena to talk to him, but it's been difficult."

I compared them in my mind, Demos, with the bags under his eyes and frail look, and Jace, looking completely perfect, except for maybe a shadow lining his jaw that hadn't been there before.

Just as I opened my mouth to retaliate, I heard a faint _click-clack_, almost as if someone was stepping on the deck. "Jonathan," Dionysus said lazily to Jace, then turned to face me. "Lila, my dear, I'm sorry for the interrupting, but Lord Cranky Thunderpants has demanded you see him."

Perplexed, I just stared at Dionysus until he explained. "Zeus, you know, the big guy in the sky? He wants you at Olympus, pronto."

"Oh," I muttered, disbelief coloring my tone.

Almost as if he could sense my hesitant approach to going to Olympus, Dionysus explained. "Don't think I haven't tried to get you out of it, but old Clouds for Brains insisted." He continued to mimic Zeus, "_'This is a matter of utmost importance, and no way may personal affections interfere'._"

"I guess if Lord Zeus insists," I glanced back at Jace as Dionysus and I headed to the Big House. He was looking out across the lake towards the setting sun, his face completely numb.

When we finally arrived at the Big House, Dionysus took my arm. "Close your eyes, and don't even think about letting go of my arm until I tell you that you can."

Confused, I simply nodded and grasped his arm firmly, eyes shut. I assume Mr. D checked that I was secure, because after a seconds wait, I understood what was happening. With a loud _BANG!,_ and a feeling of being shoved through a cheese grater, we set out for Olympus.

After what seemed like forever, but what truly was a few seconds, I felt my feet slam onto solid ground. Stumbling, but still holding onto Mr. D firmly, I pitched forward.

Hands grabbed me, saving me from a nasty fall and setting me on my feet. "Lila, if you could let go and stop blocking the blood flow to my arm, that'd be fabulous."

"Oh, sorry Mr. D," I said, snatching my hand back and blearily opening my eyes. Disoriented, I found myself in front of a drop dead gorgeous palace. Built out of sparkling white marble, practically screaming power and prestige, was the palace of the Gods.

"Now, Lila," Dionysus started, pulling me in front of him to look into my eyes. "I need you to behave, say your please's and thank you's, bow and curtsy, and such. I'd much rather not have another incinerated camper." After I nodded finally, a little shocked, Mr. D straightened up. "Well, no use putting off the inevitable. Go right on in," He said, disappearing with a bright light.

Sighing and keeping in mind Mr. D's warning, I strode into the beautiful palace. Immediately, all the chatter that had been taking place halted, all four figures turning to gaze at me. I continued on my path to the biggest throne, directly at the head, and sank to my knees.

"Lord Zeus, it is an honor," I breathed, fear grabbing me in it's hungry claws. Glancing up, I saw Dionysus nodding his approval, while Zeus cracked a small smile.

"Lila, Daughter of Persephone, I'm sure you're wondering why I summoned you here." Shaking my head yes to Zeus's words, he continued. "Well, I would like to make this short, because Hera and I have dinner reservations. Speaking of, I'm sure you already know Demeter and Dionysus," I grinned at the two other Gods that were present, "But here is my wife, Lady Hera."

I bowed deeply to the elegant figure perched next to Zeus. "It's a pleasure, my Lady."

Hera smiled widely at me, her eyes sparking with interest. Continuing, Zeus captured my attention once more. "You are here at Olympus because of your parents, more specifically who your father is."

I could almost imagine how I looked, jerking to my feet with shock. "M-My father, Lord Zeus?"

"Yes your father. You know not his identity, yet his father lies here in this very room."

I looked at him, confused, with thoughts speeding through my head. Persephone and...a Son of Zeus? It didn't seem to fit, and all those hours I spent working in Persephone's garden silently came back to haunt me. Wishing I had asked her exactly how that had worked, I opened my mouth and prepared to fire off questions at Zeus.

Noting my expression and possibly predicting my questions, Zeus roared with laughter. "Oh no, my young girl, surely you don't think I am talking about myself!"

Perplexed, it dawned on me, and I turned to the only other male in the room: Dionysus.

**A/N: Well there you go kiddos. Next chapter coming soon, last one after most likely. Then the epilogue, yay! Thanks for reading, and happy summer (well, for everyone BUT me, since we're not out yet)**


	21. Chapter 21

In the awkward silence that prevailed after Zeus' revelation, one person was brave enough to speak out. Of course that person was none other then Zeus himself, noticing the tension in the room.

"Well, I can see you two have a lot to talk about, so I'm going to get right to my point. There's a reason most Gods don't have children with the offspring of other Gods. What Persephone was thinking, I have not a clue. Anyway, these children of Gods and God's Children, or Tri-Gods for lack of a better name, are different from regular Demi-Gods. They are more powerful, having the combined strength of two different god's powers in them. So we decided long ago that, rather than incinerate the lot of Tri-Gods, we would just use their talents in a beneficial way. All Tri-Gods have their own talents, yours being focused in the area of nature. But more than that, when Tri-Gods reach their peak age, around twenty, they cease to age, becoming immortal."

Zeus paused when he heard my sharp intake of breath at the word 'immortal', but then continued without a hitch. "With this immortality, you are immune to all diseases and sicknesses, but are vulnerable to weapons and such. We usually send Tri-Gods to their parents, to forever help them in a certain area. Since your father is dead, and Dionysus is sentenced to Camp Half-Blood for the next hundred years or so, you will be sent with Persephone, to help her out with tasks of her choosing. If you're lucky, she might just grant you your own special part to rule over."

Finally finding my voice, I spoke up. "But, Lord Zeus, what if I do not wish this to happen?"

At this, all four of the present Gods roared with laughter. Still chuckling, Hera looked down at me and questioned, "Why is that, young one? We cannot let you live out as a regular Demi-God; you are too dangerous with your combined powers. No, this is the only option, unless you prefer death."

Zeus nodded at Hera's words, then added to his monologue. "We haven't even mentioned the awkward situation between your mother and Dionysus. Yes, I am certain that this choice is the best for everyone. Just think of it, watching the years pass, technology advancing, absolutely everything you could wish for right in the palm of your hand."

I did imagine it, but also I thought of my friends, continuing their lives and dying, while I stayed forever young. "Please sir, is there not any other way?"

The famous Zeus temper finally flared, "Silence! Now, we are doing you a great deed, the highest honor, and you have the impunity to refuse us? No, Lila, Daughter of Persephone, you will live you days out as an immortal, serving your Mother. I will not stand for any more of your arguments. From this moment on, you will continue to abide by your fate!"

With Zeus' final words, I felt my heart sink completely through my chest. His lightning bolt crackled as he banged it onto the floor, and a blinding light enveloped us all. When the light cleared, I noticed no new feeling, no extra strength or anything.

Zeus climbed to his feet, towering over me, and strode out of the room. Hera was hot on his heels, whispering "Come for tea sometime," before exiting also. That left just me, Demeter, and Dionysus.

"I believe I will see you at camp, Lila." Was all that Dionysus said, before disappearing in another bright light.

Then it was just Demeter, my grandmother, and me. She swept off her throne, rapidly getting smaller and smaller, until she was the size of a normal human. "Oh dear," She clucked, all her motherly instincts taking over. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. Don't worry dear, eternity is not so bad! Sure, Aphrodite gets annoying with all of her constant criticizing, but once Dionysus is done with his Director duties, he's always good for a party."

Finding no comfort in her words, tears filled my eyes. Demos, Jace, Nico, and Katie all flashed across my mind as I considered the endless years that waited for me. Demeter must have seen the hopelessness that rested in my eyes, because she took me gently into her arms.

"Don't fight it, Lila; it will only be all the more difficult then. This is what you are going to do." I listened carefully to Demeter's words, praying they might offer some helpful tip to get out of this deal.

"First of all, you will go back to camp, and explain your situation to your friends there." I nodded to her, this part of the plan already existing in my mind.

"Second, I will explain what has transpired to Hades, but I am sure he already knows. I think not that this will affect the deal you two have, about your time spent in the Underworld."

"Finally, third, you will go to Persephone and hear what she has in store for you for the rest of time. You can interpret her words however you like, but remember that you are bound by them. Also when you see Persephone will you inherit your true powers as an immortal."

I sighed, the future looking quite bleak to me, with another visit to the Underworld looming closer and closer. Turning to make my way back to Camp, I heard Demeter explain "Oh yes! I almost forgot!"

Fishing around in the pockets of her fashionable jeans, Demeter finally produced a slip of paper. I recognized the handwriting from previous encounters as my mothers, so I grabbed the slip hastily. Barely noticing Demeter departing, with a polite "See you soon," I scrutinized the words on the note.

_Same Time  
Napa Valley, California_

Disappointed at the short five words, I considered their meaning. Obviously, the note said for me to meet Persephone in Napa Valley, at the same time that our original meeting had been scheduled. Still pondering her intentions in this, I headed for the elevator to take me back to my true home, Camp Half-Blood.

**A/N: Eeep. So close. So depressing. Last chapter coming up next, than the epilogue! Yipee!**


	22. Chapter 22

A warm hand grasped my small, cold one. Another latched onto my shoulder, and promptly began shaking me. Needless to say, Demos and Jace were not taking the revelation of my destiny very well.

"Lila, stop trying to scare us! That's impossible!" Demos persisted, refusing to believe that I was destined to be an immortal servant of my mother.

Looking at Jace, I say the sad truth in his eyes. He understood completely what this meant for both of us. I saw Chiron also, and the look that passed between us explained it all. He had known all along what was coming for me, but had supported me in fighting it every step of the way.

I gently extracted myself from Demos iron tight grip. No longer did I want to be a burden on these poor boys emotions. So I left Demos, with tears pouring from his eyes. I left Jace,whose silent bravado was masking an even worse pain. And I left Chiron, whose wise silence proved he had seen thousands of heros leave without ever returning.

Arriving at my cabin, I began to pack my few meager possessions. Small thoughts darted in and out of my head, like poisonous arrows. Placing my clothes into my small bag, I meekly reconciled myself with the fact that this cabin would most likely never be used again. Gently placing my delicate flower in my pack, I remembered how throughout everything, it had still flourished under my care.

With all of my belongings packed away, I didn't want to dawdle. But still, I felt my steps slowing unintentionally as I stepped out of the Persephone cabin and closed the door for the last time. My breathing slowed, as I took in the wonderful scents of nature that pervaded the air all around me. My eyes feasted on the Big House, the Sword Fighting Arena, the Pavilion, as I knew this would probably be the last time I saw them for awhile.

Walking towards the road that led away from camp, towards New York, I pondered the journey before me. I only had a few days to reach California and see my mother. When I did see her, I would discover what exactly she had planned for me for the next... well, forever. Reaching the top of the hill, I placed my hand comfortably on the Pine Tree that represented safety for others, but symbolized the end for me.

I heard the footsteps rushing up the hill before I saw the person. I knew almost immediately that it was Demos, still persistent in his love for me.

"You weren't going to say goodbye?" He asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Sighing with the weight of the world on my shoulders, I responded carefully. "I don't think it would help anything very much."

"Oh," His voice cracked on that word also. I could almost see the gears in his brain turning. "I'm sure you're eager to be off on your great adventure. But being immortal and all, I wanted to give you something to make sure you don't forget me."

"I could never forget you," I started to say, but he cut me off right in the middle.

"Forever is a long time. Especially without a friend by your side." As he leaned in, I knew that I shouldn't let him do this to himself, that it would only cause him more heartbreak later. But without my approval, my body leaned in to his too.

When our lips met, it was like the universe somehow came together right at that moment. I forgot everything of the past few weeks, because the only thing that mattered was that Demos was right in front, and I loved him. When the kiss came to an end, all too soon, he leaned his forehead against mine.

"I had to know," He said, a little winded.

"I understand," I breathed at the same time. Right then at that moment, I knew that no matter what would've happened, I always would have Demos supporting me. He would always be by my side, and in the end of this furious battle of love, I would have chosen him. Now, though, I had to break his heart one last time.

He must have seen something in my eyes, because he crushed me to his chest. "We could run together, fight this. I'll never leave you."

I tried to pull away from his iron grip once more, but this time I failed. "Where could we run, Demos? You're smarter than this, and you deserve someone who will be there for you whenever you need them. You deserve someone better than me."

I could hear his protests forming, so I silenced him with one last kiss. "If it counts for anything, I would have chosen you."

And then I ran, not proudly or gracefully, but blindly down the long hill I had climbed only a day earlier. I would continue to run, until I could finally rid myself of this heartbreak, or until I finally reached my destination. Whichever came first.

* * *

**A Couple Days Later**

My eyes opened at the small pop that came with an extraordinarily bright light. 'Finally', I thought, relieved that my mother had decided at last to grace me with her presence.

Persephone emerged from a thicket of trees, her skin aglow in the bright light. I felt it in the air also, the first taste of spring. Only fitting for it to be on the day I always longingly waiting for, the first day of spring.

Persephone's eyes ran over the surrounding area, and they filled with an inexplicable sadness. That is, until her eyes rested on me, and then she was careful to keep all emotion off her face.

"Lila," Was all she said, but I knew that she was beckoning me to her. Too curious to resist, I heaved myself out of my little niche in the trees and walked to her.

As I walked to my mother, I surveyed the beauty of the surrounding land. Miles and miles of grape vines were all around us, save for the few trees that grew just here. All these plants gave me a refreshed, energized feel.

"Mother," I said respectfully, inclining my head as I reached her.

She looked me over for a few moments, and once again the untold sadness crippled her expression. But finally, in a voice like a gentle rain, she said "Now you know."

I nodded, a bit of anger coloring my face, and she looked appropriately remorseful. "I am sorry that I did not tell you everything when you came to me in Hades, but understandably my husband is a bit sensitive to that topic."

I shook my head agreeably to her once more, eager for her to get to the point. "Most of all, I am sorry that right now I can not divulge all the information I have on your father. This is the first day of my freedom, and I have places to go and people to see. But I can tell you what you shall be doing for the rest of eternity."

Disbelief joined curiosity on my face, but before I could speak out to her, she hurriedly continued. "No time for yelling at me, you have some work to do. Since the death of Pan, I have been swamped with work. Our earth is just getting sicker, with more pollution growing by the day. Your job is to stop this, and fix what is already been done. It is not a small job, nor an easy one, but I think with your combined blood, that you are the best person for the job."

Persephone stepped closer to me, and placed her hands on my head. I was surprised to see that she was extremely tall. "With all of that said, I finally name you Lila, Goddess of Conservation, for lack of a better word."

I felt the power surge into me, my small body filled with strength. Without another word, Persephone spun around to leave. "I will see you September 21st, the day before fall begins, so that we may journey into the Underworld together." She called to me over her shoulder.

Eager not to be left with so many questions and so little answers, I yelled after her. "Mother!"

She turned cautiously around, face guarded. "Yes?"

Anxious, I asked the first question in my mind. "Why? Why did you choose here for us to meet?"

Persephone smiled for the first time since I had seen her. "Why, isn't it obvious dear. This is the first place I always come after leaving Hades, and the place where I first met your father."

Dumbfounded, I stared in silence as she turned to leave once more. "Oh and Lila, I wouldn't forget your debt to Hades. He certainly wont".

With that last explanation, my mother and only hope of answers disappeared, leaving me with an impossible job, a million questions, almost unlimited power, and six months of freedom.

I sighed, and left the place where my entire life had began, planning out the rest of it, and possibly it's end.

**A/N: Oh dear, *cowers*. I know, it's not the ending most of you hoped for, but I hate happy cliched endings. The epilogues will be up quite soon, so don't fret for too long. Anyway, love it, hate it? Let me know !**


	23. Epilogue

**6 Months Later**

As the cold wind ruffled my new short haircut, I snuggled deeper into my faux-leather jacket. The chilly autumn breeze's would only get worse as summer came to a close, and some part inside me knew I most likely would have to get rid of my motorcycle then. But for now, coasting along the windy California roads, I also knew that no other vehicle could give me such a thrill as this one did.

The voice of reason spoke out inside me again, warning me that keeping Persephone waiting for an hour was probably not the wisest thing to do. After all, I hadn't seen her since that terrible spring day. But then again, that was the day that she left me with a huge task and no idea how to do it.

That thought made me slow, as the small thicket of trees finally came into view. Sighing, I hopped off my ride, leaving it in the middle of the road, almost as a challenge to others.

I came upon Persephone, pacing impatiently between two trees. Lighting a cigarette carelessly, I approached her.

Her eyes flickered from my figure to my hand, and almost immediately she came and knocked it out of my hand. "Do you not know what those do, not only to your body, but to the environment."

I felt a laugh bubble up inside me. "Chill, mom. After everything I've done, maybe you'd allow this one concession."

She nodded, hesitant with her praise. "I do have to admit, good job with that oil spill in the gulf. I doubt the humans would have ever figured out how to stop it without you."

I nodded, only half listening to her praise. I felt her eyes wander over me once again, and I bristled under the scrutiny. "Why don't you take a damn picture? It'll last longer."

I saw her start at my question, then respond gently. "I was only admiring the flower you keep with you. A Love In A Mist, I presume? Very beautiful and well taken care of."

My heart stuttered at the name of my now known flower, but I recoiled from her praise. "I don't give a damn what you think of me."

Her face twisted, part of it with anger, and part with remorse. Softly, she asked, "What happened to you?"

Taking a step back from her, I knew that she wasn't referring to my appearance. Under my leather jacket, I had a big, comfy concert shirt tucked into a small, floral printed skirt, with chunky cowboy boots finishing off the image. The outfit was pretty normal, for me at least. But rather, she was talking about my attitude, coupled with the motorcycle and smoking.

"What's the matter, Mom, don't like what you did to me?"

She took the step back this time, her expression entirely remorseful. "T-This wasn't what I intended to happen."

Another laugh, this time bitter and angry. "Are you kidding me? You leave me in the middle of California, with no idea how to behave or do what you told me to do. You expect me to be all smiles and daisies after that?"

Persephone shook her head, "You wouldn't understand."

I snorted, angry as every, and sneered. "Try me, Mom."

Expressionless, she began to recite a tale like she had practiced it many times before. "As I mentioned, your father and I met here. He was tending to this place, as its owner, and I was returning from another long stay in the Underworld. I didn't purposely fall in love with him, but how could I not, with his kind, charming words, he disarmed my defensive front in a second."

She paused for a second, looking at me once again. "You know, you are a lot like him. He was also short in stature, but made up for it in personality."

Sighing, she continued with her story. "You can imagine what happened next, leading up to my pregnancy. I spent every waking moment I could with him, most of the time here, at Napa Valley. As a Son of Dionysus, he completely understood what could happen to him, if Hades ever found out. But every day, we grew more in love. He offered to hide me here, saying that since he owned it in Dionysus's name, Hades couldn't touch me here. But I knew that Hades would go to the ends of the earth to find me."

"So I concealed my pregnancy from him, and Zane, your father, and I agreed to meet here on the first day of spring. Returning to the Underworld was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I put up my act. When I was finally free, I rushed here to your father. But before I could reach him, I was rushed into delivery. Zephyrus, the gentle west wind, helped me with it and hid you away for me, until I could return for you. His brother, Eurus, learned of this and grew jealous, and it was he who told Hades of my deed."

Persephone's voice finally caught, and I sensed a difficultly lying ahead. "Before I could reach your father, Hades struck him down. I instructed Zephyrus to hide you, and guide you away from danger. Every year, on the first day of spring and the last day of summer, he would tell me of your progress. He also grew to love you."

I looked up, startled at such a revelation. "What?"

"Worry not about Zephyrus, you can meet him soon enough. Even today he cares for you and watches over you. But, now you know everything about your past. I can only hope you don't hate me."

My mind swirled, confusion being the dominant emotion. My anger, brimming at the surface these past few months, drained away. Looking into my mother's eyes for the first time, I finally saw what must have always been there, love. Taking the first step towards her, I embraced Persephone. Feeling a gentle wind stir my hair from the west, I thought of my future, and for the first time, smiled at the prospect.

**A/N: Hey, I'm a sap for a semi-happy ending. Not the one most of you would have wanted, but I feel like I have fulfilled my duties (: Thank you all for reading!**


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